Dragon Ball Zea
by DesertAnubis
Summary: A remake of the original series, where Kakarot is Vegeta's servant, Piccolo and Krillin are the heroes of Earth, power is a little more proportional, the Kai are portrayed as the all-powerful race they are, and an introduction of a number of OC's/alternate versions of canon characters. Updates come (regularly) every Sunday.
1. ToC and Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Chapters**

The Prince and the Unstable  
_3 Pages - February 1, 2015_

Kakarot's Sentimentality  
_4 Pages - February 3, 2015_

Trial Run  
_5 Pages - February 9, 2015_

Allowances for Insanity  
_4 Pages - February 15, 2015_

The Night Visit  
_4 Pages - February 23, 2015_

The Destruction of Planet Vegeta  
_2 Pages - March 1, 2015_

Ten Years Later  
_4 Pages - March 9, 2015_

Trapped on the Z World  
_4 Pages - March 16, 2015_

Retribution of the Prince  
_4 Pages - March 22, 2015_

Chapter Ten  
_Coming March 29, 2015_


	2. The Prince and the Unstable, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Prince and the Unstable**

Page 1

"My Lord Vegeta, we have perfected a new formula for the healing capsules,"

The king, a man adorned in embellished armor complete with a long maroon cape, stood in the center of the room. He had short, furry black hair swept back, and a beard to match. He held himself with all the affectations of his rank, and his charisma was certainly being felt by every scientist in the room.

These were saiyans. In appearance, identical to humans, though all saiyans had black hair and eyes, and long, powerful monkey tails. Saiyans thrived on battle, craved it even. Incredibly competitive, the only thing that had prevented them from tearing themselves apart was that there were other races to tear apart instead. Saiyans were mercenaries, scouring their region of the galaxy for suitable planets – and when they did, they would wipe out any inhabitants and turn around, selling the planets for a profit.

There were very few saiyans who had the patience and lack of competitiveness to go into the science field. They were certainly paid well, given there were so few, but the saiyans never boasted of their technical advances. Mostly, they purchased that technology from clients, or pilfered it from the races they conquered.

Due to the high physical risk, saiyans were often in need of healing, and that, indeed, was the most advanced of the technologies that saiyans had. Healing capsules were among the most efficient healing devices in the region; basically, a capsule was a chemical bath that sped up the healing process.

"This compound is guaranteed to have saiyans back on their feet in two hours." The lead scientist explained tremulously. As king, Vegeta was the most powerful saiyan on the planet, and he didn't have a very forgiving nature if he found something he didn't like. That, and the scientists being fairly small and weak by comparison already, left them often blessing their lucky stars if they survived a visit from the king without anyone losing their heads.

"From the brink of death?"

Vegeta glanced down. He had brought his son – a mirror image of himself. The young prince even bore the same name. Yet despite being at the age of eleven, he had a remarkable awareness.

"Well, not exactly, no," The lead scientist said uneasily. "But at most that would take three. Prince," He added hastily, bowing his head in deference.

"Hmph. Then don't advertise it as two hours." The prince folded his arms and looked around. "Three hours isn't much of an improvement."

At that moment, one of the doors burst open. "Hey, Doc! Check this out!"

"Kakarot, no! Come back here!"

A saiyan, this one only seven years old, popped through the doors, sailing through the air. In his hands he held a large blue orb of energy – his physical power manifested. He was dressed rather differently than the scientists, who were all in lab coats – he was wearing a black body glove with a navy blue sash around his waist, along with white boots and gloves. His expression, too, was very childish as he flew forward obliviously.

"See? See? I got lots of energy this time! Wait, who are you?" He stopped, his eyes wide and curious as he turned to see the king and his son. "Are you guys from outside?"

"Please excuse him, your Majesty, he's one of the unstable subjects," The lead scientist grabbed Kakarot's wrist and dragged him down. "Kakarot, go back to your room."

"What? Why?" Kakarot wailed, but started to retreat.

"He's an Unstable? And you're letting him wander around on his own?" The King frowned.

"Well, he's not really, no mutations or anything. He just destroyed the planet he was sent to, so he got labeled Unstable. Kakarot, go!" He snapped briefly, then turned back. "He's very docile. It's more of an insanity; he still loves to fight, but he's almost unnaturally obedient. If a little excitable."

The King folded his arms. "If he is an Unstable, then you should make certain he does not leave his cage."

"O-of course, Sire." The doctor stammered.

"WHAT?" Kakarot gasped, whirling around. "I don't wanna be in a cage! I'd never get to fight! I'll be good, I promise, I'll be quiet too, please, please, I don't wanna be in a cage!"

"Shut up!" The Prince snapped, and there was instant silence.

The King relaxed, then turned to the hapless scientist that had followed Kakarot in. "Take him back and lock him up if you know what's good for you."

"Yes Sire! At once! Kakarot!" He waved. "Come!"

Kakarot hesitated, looking back and forth, then bowed his head, his tail drooping as he finally turned to follow.

"Wait a moment." The Prince said, his eyes narrowing. "Kakarot, come here."

The young saiyan whirled, cautiously hopeful. He flew back and landed in front of the Prince, looking up with wide eyes.

"Stand at attention. Like this," The Prince demonstrated. Kakarot mirrored him. "Turn around in a circle."

As Kakarot turned, the King frowned. "Let them take it away, Son."

"He amuses me, Father." The Prince replied. "I'll take him for a while. If he's any good, I'll keep him as my second. If not, well," The Prince smirked. "Back to the cage."

Kakarot gave him a huge grin, but still didn't say anything.

The King sighed. "Someone like him, my son?"

The Prince shrugged. "We'll see. At least he isn't complaining anymore. Well?" He asked, raising an eyebrow again. "Do you understand?"

Kakarot nodded vigorously.

"You will address me as Prince. Do you understand?"

He nodded again.

The Prince blinked, frowning slightly. "You can speak." He added.

"Yay! Thank you, Prince, thank you! I'll do whatever you say, Prince, I promise!"

He cringed a little. "Shut up."

Kakarot snapped his mouth shut.

After a moment of silence, the Prince smirked. "Well, well. I like him, Father."

The King shook his head, but didn't say anything about it. "Go ahead and implement the new compound. I expect your work to continue to progress." He whirled and strode to the exit.

"Come along, Kakarot." The Prince said, and the two young saiyans turned to hurry after the King.


	3. The Prince and the Unstable, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Prince and the Unstable**

Page 2

"Wow, this place is _huge_!" Kakarot gasped as they entered the palace. "You know, I've never been outside before, I mean, I guess once, that was back when I was a baby though, so I don't remember, they said it was because I blew up the planet I was supposed to clear, that's why I'm an Unstable, boy, I'm glad you got me out of there, I was afraid I'd have to spend the rest of my life cooped up in there!" He stopped and took a breath, then noticed the Prince's annoyed expression. "Oh, you want me to be quiet? I'll stop talking now,"

The King glanced back at the bubbly saiyan. He wasn't exactly the image of an elite warrior class, and he seemed to have no clue of the immense honor that had been bestowed upon him. What the Prince saw in him was a mystery; any elite would know their place and follow orders with much more dignity than this riffraff. Still, if he was going to serve as the Prince's second…

He tapped his scouter. The reading was abysmal; scarcely two hundred. His son was in the neighborhood of fifteen hundred, much greater. Still, for a child it wasn't too low of a score; the Prince was something of an exception to the rule.

The Prince turned. "Kakarot, come with me." He glanced up at the King. "Father, I'm taking him to test his strength. It shouldn't take very long."

The King nodded. "Do as you wish." He turned. "We will be dining with Lord Gulakik tonight. I would advise you don't bring your pet to dinner."

The Prince nodded back and moved away, Kakarot on his heels. "Who's Lord Gulakik? Why are you testing my strength? Does this mean we're going to fight?"

"Not likely." The Prince folded his arms. "Your power level is far below mine. We'll start with cybamen."

"Oh, so you can hide your power level too? How strong are you really?" Kakarot asked, his hands behind his head.

Vegeta stopped, blinking, and looked back. "What?"

"I thought we'd be almost even. I'm not quite as strong as you, but we're really close. Unless you're hiding your power level. Are you hiding your power level?"

"Hiding my…" He snorted. "Just come on. And stop with the prattle."

"Okay." Kakarot followed him. "Hey, if I'm your second, then does that mean I live here?"

"If you're my second, then yes, you'd live at the castle. I'll explain more once I've tested your power." He led the way into a long room with a number of glass walls going down the side, revealing arenas.

"Hail, Prince Vegeta!" Someone shouted, and the attendants hastily snapped to attention.

Vegeta pointed at one. "You. Launch room five for cybamen fighting."

"Yes, Prince."

Kakarot peered over the attendant's elbow, his tail flicking behind him curiously. He resisted the urge to question what the attendant was doing, and looked back at Vegeta. "So… are we going to fight?"

"You'll be fighting against cybamen." Vegeta explained, folding his arms. "How well you do against them will determine what the next step will be."

"What if I beat all of them?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. The chance of that happening, with Kakarot at such a low level, wasn't likely. "Just focus on the task at hand, Kakarot."

"Right." He started stretching out his legs to get the blood flowing. _Maybe if I beat them all, I'll get to fight him! Oh, this will be so much fun!_

"Whenever you're ready," The attendant said.

Kakarot looked up at Vegeta, who nodded. With a whoop, Kakarot powered through the door and landed in the middle of the ring. He looked around. "So… where are the cybamen?" He gave a start and looked down. "What the–"

The ground (which was dirt, rather than metal) broke open, and out clambered a little goblin-like creature with green skin and large red eyes. It looked up, then grinned, baring its fangs, and flexed its claws.

Kakarot wilted. "_These_ guys? They're so boring! Can't I fight a purple one?"

Vegeta blinked and frowned. _Boring? What is he talking about? This cybaman will be enough to handle on its own. A purple one would cream him!_ "Stop complaining and fight!"

Kakarot pulled a face. "Fine." He whirled back. "I guess I have to fight you. Boooring!" He stopped. "Wait, maybe he wants to see how fast I can beat you! All right!" He shifted, grinning. "I'll make this quick, then." He focused for a moment, then sprinted forward, thrusting out his hands. "HA!"

The cybaman was thrown backwards into the wall, an expression of shock on its face. With a little whimper, it slid down, broken.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break it," Kakarot rubbed the back of his head. "I keep forgetting… oops." He looked back at Vegeta, who looked astounded. "Does this mean I can't be your second?"

The Prince recovered quickly and frowned, then checked his scouter again. "Still two hundred. What… but that couldn't have been enough power to do that…" His eyes narrowed. "Explain what happened, Kakarot."

"What, didn't you see me?" The young saiyan asked blankly. "I just pushed him. I didn't think he'd break…"

"No, no, not– how did you beat him? Your power level is far too low." Vegeta growled.

"Oh. So you don't know, then." He rubbed the back of his head. "So only me, huh? Doc never knew either. Weird." He powered up. "I was suppressing my power. All the other Unstables got mad at me." He hesitated. "You're not going to be mad at me, are you?"

Vegeta was baffled. "What are you…" He blinked, the scouter coming into focus. "Fourteen-fifty? But…" His eyes widened. "How did you do that?"

Kakarot shrugged. "I've been able to ever since I can remember. The other Unstables would always throw a fit if I was too strong, so I kept my power level low. I told Doc once, but he said I was being silly." He scratched his cheek with a finger. "Well, he said that about a lot of things I did, though."


	4. The Prince and the Unstable, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Prince and the Unstable**

Page 3

"I see." Vegeta frowned, then set aside his scouter. "Up it to elite fighting." He ordered to one, then turned to another. "Get the cybaman out."

"Yes, Sire." The attendants hopped to.

Kakarot watched them take the cybaman out, then looked back, flicking his tail. "So… was that okay? I mean, I didn't mean to break it…" He stopped when he saw Vegeta discard his cape. "What are you doing, Prince?"

"I'm coming in." Vegeta said, rolling his shoulder.

"Why?" Kakarot asked, puzzled.

"To fight."

The young saiyan stared at him. Then it clicked, and Kakarot whooped, jumping into the air. "Yippee! We get to fight! Ooo, this'll be so much fun! I'm so excited!" He bounced around the room.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped as he walked in, his tail tight around his waist.

"What? How?" Kakarot stopped, looking around at himself. "I don't know how to do that…" He added uncomfortably.

"You…" Vegeta sighed. "Kakarot, when I say 'get a hold of yourself', I mean stand at attention. Stop bouncing around."

"Oh." Kakarot grinned sheepishly. "Guess I got carried away there, huh? Right!" He dropped down smartly and stood at attention. "Like this, right?"

Vegeta frowned at him. _He's definitely insane. Completely insane. But so far, it seems as though he's trainable._ He snorted. _Great. A saiyan who learns tricks._

_…I'd better be the only one he listens to._ "Hey, Kakarot."

"Yes, Prince?" The young saiyan looked up.

"I want you to obey me, and only me. No one else." He commanded. "Is that understood?"

He blinked. "Only you? Not Doc? Not your father?"

Vegeta blinked, then nodded. "If I am absent, obey my father, but my orders to you trump his. If you want to be my second, you had better be _my_ second."

"Sounds easy enough." Kakarot rubbed the back of his head. "So, not Doc, huh?" He whirled his tail. "Does that mean I can fly upside down again?" He grinned and flipped over. "Whee!"

"No, you may not fly upside down. If the doctor gave you any orders, I want you to ask me before you stop following them." Vegeta amended, and realized it was probably a good thing if the doctor had figured out that Kakarot could be instructed to behave like a sane person.

"Aww. Okay." Kakarot landed again and folded his arms, thinking.

"Don't ask any questions right now, Kakarot. That can wait until after our battle." He settled into a fighting stance. "Ready?"

"Huh? Oh," Kakarot crouched, raising his hands. "Right." He grinned. "I'm ready, Prince."

A twitch, and they were off, matching blow for blow. Kakarot was remarkably quick, and he tended to add his energy to any hit he landed. Even so, it was easy to tell he'd never been in a fight with experienced warriors before; Vegeta's ability to block and counter seemed to take Kakarot by surprise.

Twice, Kakarot was thrown back when his speed should have made him able to dodge. Vegeta floated above the young saiyan, frowning. "Well, you've got power, that's for sure. But you don't really know how to wield it, do you?"

Kakarot sat up, his eyes wide. "Guess not. You can really roll with the punches, huh?" He got up. "Not like Doc and the others." He laughed. "Guess that should've been obvious, huh? Whoops!" He flew up. "I've never fought anyone who knows how to fight before."

"Not surprising, considering where you're from." Vegeta, however, landed. "That's enough for now, Kakarot."

"What? But we only just started!" Kakarot gasped. He dropped down anyway. "That's it?"

"Yes, that's it." The prince exited, reclaiming his cape. "You're strong enough. All you really need is training, and that can be taken care of later. In the meantime, we need to sort out your duties."

Kakarot followed curiously. "My duties? Wait, you mean I can be your second? I don't have to go back to the lab?!" He grinned from ear to ear and leapt into the air, giggling. "Awesome!"

"Stop monkeying around, Kakarot, or I'll change my mind!" Vegeta threatened grumpily.

"Wait, is that like get a hold of yourself?" Kakarot flew down and stood at attention. "Like this, right?"

The Prince took a deep breath, then let it out. "Yes, Kakarot, like that. Now keep quiet and follow me. Let's get you a uniform."

_This may take a while._


	5. Kakarot's Sentimentality, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Kakarot's Sentimentality**

Page 1

"What about flying in circles?"

The young prince was lying on his bed, feeling drained. He thought it'd be easy; Kakarot took his words to heart after all. But the crazy and creative mind of the freaky kid kept coming up with new things to ask about. And he was listing them like there was no bottom.

"No."

"Can I do a backflip off your bed?"

"No."

"What about chewing on my tail?"

"Why in the world would you do that?"

"I dunno, I never really want to, cos if my tail hurts I feel sick, but if I ever got the urge–"

"No, you may not."

"Okay, let's see. Ooo, can I do a head stand?"

"No."

"Can I hold my breath?"

"Did I say stop breathing?"

"What if I'm underwater?"

Vegeta sighed and covered his face. "Yes, Kakarot, if you're underwater and you're drowning, you can hold your breath." He sat up. "Really, is it necessary to ask me all these stupid questions? Don't you have any common sense?"

Kakarot was lying on his back in midair, his hands behind his head. At this, though, he sat up and turned. "Doc said that's why I'm an Unstable." He flicked his tail. "Is it bothering you?"

Vegeta snorted. "Is it bothering me?" He echoed sarcastically. "Do I look like I'm enjoying it?"

Kakarot ducked his head. "Sorry, you just said ask you before I did anything."

The Prince took a deep breath. _If I can't command this ridiculously obedient saiyan without losing my temper, then forget trying to take over after my father._ He let the breath out. "Kakarot."

"Yes, Prince?" The young saiyan asked nervously.

"I've given you plenty of answers by now. What I'd like you to do is see if you can figure out what my answers would be for any other questions that come up. If you're not sure, try to see if it sounds like a stupid question – for example, whether or not you could chew on your tail is a stupid question, since you'd never get the urge. If you're still not sure, _then_ you can ask me. One other thing," He held up his hand. "You can only ask me three questions at a time related to your behavior."

Kakarot thought about it. "Hmm, okay. I think I can do that."

Vegeta sank back onto the bed in relief.

"What about– oh, I've used up all my questions, huh?" Kakarot asked.

Vegeta grimaced, but having heard all the wild things to come out of Kakarot's mouth up to this point, he had a hard time deciding whether it was better to not know what insanity would come next, or to find out the hard way at a very inconvenient time. "What is it?" He muttered.

"What about suppressing my power?" Kakarot flew over above the bed and looked down. "I mean, I've done it all this time, I've even learned how to fight with suppressed power and only use it in small doses. Can I keep doing that?"

Vegeta crossed his legs and folded his arms. "How can you even do that, anyway? It's not like you can transform, and that's the only way I know of that you could hide your true power level."

"I don't know. I just do." Kakarot shrugged. "Nobody else could." He flicked his tail. "Doc didn't know, but do you think that might mean I'm an Unstable for that too?"

The Prince sat up, and Kakarot landed beside the bed. "You can keep doing it." He said after a moment. After all, the element of surprise was definitely a good edge to have. "It probably isn't an Unstable trait, actually." He added, cupping his chin in his hand, then raised the hand to his scouter. "Demonstrate a few times. Just raise your power level up and down."

Kakarot blinked, then complied.

"That's good." Vegeta nodded, then hopped off the bed. "I might be able to do it too." He held out the scouter. "Watch."

"Watch what?" Kakarot asked as he took it.

"Here," Vegeta swiped it back impatiently and placed it on Kakarot's ear. "You can read, can't you?"

"Well, uh, yeah, a little," Kakarot took it off his ear. "But if that's supposed to tell me your power level, I don't need it. I can sense your energy just fine."

Vegeta gave a start. "What? How is that possible?"

"I told you, didn't I? That was how I could tell my energy was close to yours." Kakarot held it out. "I don't need this."

The Prince gritted his teeth. _What the hell._ He thought. "What… what are you?" He muttered.

Kakarot blinked. "Prince?" He hesitated. "Is that bad? Should I hide it?" He asked uncertainly.

_And he has no idea… no idea…_ He grimaced. _He's a freak._

_What, am I frightened of a freak now?_ He clenched his fists. _A freak that obeys my every command without so much as a thought not to?_

"Prince?" Kakarot asked nervously.

"No." Vegeta said at last. "No, that's fine. That's good, actually." He looked down at the scouter. "It's good."

"You sure?" Kakarot asked, eyeing the young prince warily.

"Yes, Kakarot, I'm sure." He picked it up and put it back on his ear again. "But I want you to teach me. And I want you to keep it hidden from everyone else." He looked up at the young saiyan. "You will have a scouter, and you will pretend that's how you can sense energy. It's a communicator as well." He said. "And suppress your energy. Do like you were saying, use it in quick bursts." He hesitated. "And when I tell you, try to teach me."

Kakarot blinked. "I dunno… I'll try, but… I dunno how…"

"Just try. I'll tell you when to stop trying." Vegeta said. _That kind of power on the battlefield would be of tremendous advantage to myself. If it's something only that freak can do, fine. But it will still be under my command._


	6. Kakarot's Sentimentality, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Kakarot's Sentimentality**

Page 2

"Kakarot!"

The young saiyan turned.

One of the other servants, one he recognized as the King's personal attendant, Pyphor, approached him. Pyphor was not a saiyan; almost none of the servants were, after all. Saiyans had a pride that often matched their love of battle.

"The King wishes to see you." Pyphor said, gesturing. "This way."

"Hm? Oh, okay." Kakarot followed. It had been a few days since he'd been brought to the palace. He had been doing his best to keep up with the Prince's commands, and seemed to be getting along pretty well so far. He could tell that everyone was uncomfortable around him, but that was the way it had always been. He flicked his tail. The prince had said he would be better off if he didn't stand out so much.

"In here." Pyphor pulled open the door, and Kakarot entered, surprised.

He looked around, then spotted the King and knelt. "Hail King Vegeta!"

The King turned. "Ah, you have arrived. Good." He came over. "Arise, Kakarot."

The young saiyan did as he was bidden.

"I summoned you, Kakarot, for a specific order I want you to carry out, regardless of what my son may have told you."

Kakarot blinked. "Yes, sir?"

"I want you to make sure he stays alive. He is my only heir, and my only child. Please, protect him at any cost."

Kakarot knew well what those words meant. He beamed. "Of course, King Vegeta. I'll protect him with my life."

The King frowned at him for a minute, then said, "I have seen you fight. Your power level seems to have no bearing on the opponents you can engage. I don't know how you are capable of this, but we are fortunate you are so compliant." His eyes narrowed in sudden severity. "I'm saying this because I trust you, Kakarot, not to kill him."

"Why would I?" Kakarot asked, genuinely confused. "He's my Prince, and I'm his second." He pulled his hands behind his head and stood on one leg, his tail flicking in amusement.

"You truly care so little about power?" King Vegeta queried.

"What do you mean? I love power, just like any other saiyan! Oh–" He gave a start. "This is about getting to boss people around, isn't it?"

The King eyed him coldly.

Kakarot burst into laughter. "Me? Boss people around? How _boring_!" He grinned. "All _I_ want to do is fight, sir. Other people can deal with people telling other people what to do. I just want to fight lots of powerful warriors."

The King stared at him for a long moment. _He_ is_ insane._ He thought. _But perhaps that is a good thing here._ "So you understand your orders, Kakarot?"

"Yes, sir. Don't let him get killed, sir, even if it costs my life." He nodded.

"Good. You may go." Kakarot left, and the King gazed after him. _Insane… and loyal to a fault. The perfect servant._ He frowned. _I just hope he stays that way._

* * *

"We should probably take Denmor next," The Prince was saying. He, Kakarot, and his father and the royal court were all standing in a large war room. Prince Vegeta was at the edge of a war map, gazing down at the surface with a frown. He pointed. "It has a strategic location in this sector, and opens up the rest of the planets to invasion. Lord Gulakik has it under his request list, too."

Kakarot was standing by the window, which had a fairly impressive view of the city. It was nighttime, meaning the city was visible via a countless number of tiny lights. His tail flicked behind him in wonder.

"Lord Gulakik hasn't been paying as well as usual." The King said from the other side, his arms folded. "Resources are getting scarce."

"We could always scavenge the planet first." Prince Vegeta pointed out. "Send an elite team. They don't have high enough power levels to bother, but an elite team would be able to scavenge a lot more than a low-class one."

The King smiled. "Excellent idea, my son."

"My lord!" One of the servants entered. "A saiyan by the name of Bardock desires an audience concerning the assignment of Kanassa."

Kakarot blinked and turned. "Bardock? That sounds familiar, would I know a saiyan named Bardock?"

The Prince shrugged. "Doubt it. He's not a doctor. Unless he went to the lab for some reason."

"Let him in." The King said, folding his arms and turning. "Bardock would be Kakarot's father."

They both jumped in shock.

"My _father_?" Kakarot gasped. "You mean, like you're Prince Vegeta's father? I have a father?"

The Prince folded his arms. "Kakarot, calm down. Every saiyan has a father. And a mother. It doesn't change anything." He glanced back. "Don't speak unless I permit you to."

Kakarot flew over and landed beside him. They had both grown in the past few months; Kakarot more so. They were more or less equal in height… something the Prince did not find enjoyable.

"Prince, please?" He asked in an undertone.

"Not now. We can track him down later, but now is not the time." The Prince could see that this meant a lot to Kakarot; very few things seemed to have that effect. After a few months, the young saiyan's loyalty had grown on him. And even though he often questioned the things Kakarot was prone to do, he'd realized that letting Kakarot goof around a little behind closed doors meant he was less fidgety outside; and Kakarot was starting to fidget.

The door opened, and they both looked up with some interest. The Prince's fists balled under his arms. What was he expecting? Kakarot was insane. Would this be some kind of brute who could barely string two words together, or would he be just as babbly as his son?


	7. Kakarot's Sentimentality, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Kakarot's Sentimentality**

Page 3

When Bardock entered, though, the Prince was struck by how shrewd the saiyan looked. He wasn't towering, or bulky, but he wasn't thin either. He looked like he knew his way around a battlefield, but also that he wasn't particularly showy about it either. A level-headed warrior with good instincts.

Which if he thought about it, wasn't that far off from Kakarot. Just minus the insanity.

He glanced up at Kakarot, who was looking like he wasn't sure what to think. The revelation that he had a father seemed to have caught him off guard. To go from that to seeing his father in person not seconds later had to be a bit of a shock.

Bardock strode forward without so much as a glance in Kakarot's direction and knelt in front of the King. "Hail, King Vegeta!"

"Rise." The King commanded. "You wish to take on Kanassa?"

"Yes, Sire. My team has proven their worth on numerous occasions. We have taken on a number of elite postings, and I believe we are capable of dealing with Kanassa." Bardock said, folding his arms. "But we were forbidden to take on this assignment."

The King thought about it. "You are likely to be killed. We can't afford to lose good warriors."

"Kanassa would bring in an enormous profit." Bardock pointed out. "Things are tight enough as it is."

After a long moment, the King inclined his head. "You may take that assignment." He turned to one of the assistants. "Get it entered into the system as an order from King Vegeta." He looked back. "Don't fail me, Bardock."

The saiyan captain bowed in deference. "You won't be disappointed, my King." He retreated.

Kakarot shifted restlessly, but as the door closed, he dropped his gaze. The Prince gave him a sideways look. He was fidgeting again, and though the Prince had little interest in indulging his own servant, it seemed prudent this time. "We'll track him down after the meeting, Kakarot." He said quietly, then turned back. "Kanassa is the planet of the psychics, isn't it? Who has that on their request list?"

"That's another one that Lord Gulakik desires, but its level is extraordinarily high." The King frowned. "If Bardock is capable of returning from that…"

Kakarot gave a start. "Wait, you don't think he can?" He asked nervously.

The Prince glanced over at him, and was surprised to find him shaking. He opened his mouth, then stopped and looked up at the King. "I'd like to take my leave, Father." Kakarot was only going to get stir-crazy here.

The King seemed to realize what was going on. "Yes, go." He nodded.

The Prince turned. "Come on, Kakarot."

"Wait, are we going to talk to him?" Kakarot jumped and flew to the door.

"Kakarot, calm down." The Prince flew after him and caught his arm. "Don't be too hasty." He looked up. "Call Bardock back. Tell him I wish to speak with him in the throne room." He looked over at Kakarot. "Let's go."

Kakarot hesitated, but obeyed.

"Also, let me do the introductions. I'll let you know when you can speak, but we don't want to rush into this too quickly." The Prince said. He looked over at Kakarot, who still looked a bit confused.

He nodded. "That's probably good, Prince," He rubbed the back of his head. "Man, what do I even say to him? I mean, this is totally weird."

"You still want to do this, though, right?" Vegeta queried.

"Yes, sir." Kakarot nodded again. "I do."

When they got to the throne room, Prince Vegeta had the servants currently there depart. Once they had, he took his seat at the foot of the throne. There was only one King; there was only one throne. And the Prince wasn't allowed to sit there yet. Kakarot paced back and forth in front of him, his tail flicking nervously.

It was only moments before the door was opened. Bardock stepped in, caution ruling the saiyan warrior's gaze as it swept the hall. No witnesses; this was a very strange summon, especially right after having an audience with the King.

He was a warrior, though, and he could see that the Prince was sitting. That casual lack of tension indicated this was a casual meeting, but the saiyan captain was having a hard time determining just why he had been summoned. He strode forward and knelt. "Hail, Prince Vegeta." He said, eyeing the Prince, before taking a quick look at the other young saiyan. This one seemed to be rather restless, even though he was standing by the Prince's side. This must be the unusual saiyan rumored to be the Prince's second.

Vegeta rested an elbow on his knee. "You have a son named Kakarot, correct?" He queried.

Bardock blinked, then frowned. "That was a while back, yes." He gazed back, still trying to evaluate what the Prince was intending. "But he was labeled as an Unstable after destroying the planet he had been sent to clear."

The other young saiyan shifted restlessly, his tail flicking back and forth. Most saiyans kept their tails around their waists; a common display of control. Certainly, this saiyan seemed to be lacking in the disciplined area.

The Prince glanced at his second. "This is him."

Bardock twitched in surprise and took in the young saiyan again. Now that he thought about it, even with the soft features of a child, this saiyan looked nearly identical to him. Kakarot's eyes were wide, nervous, and his tail was swirling behind his back.

Bardock looked back at the Prince. "I didn't realize your second was an Unstable. Surely you had other options, Prince?"

Kakarot flinched, and the Prince blinked. _Well. Can't say that the saiyans are a particularly sentimental race._ "I did. Kakarot had the most to offer." He folded his arms. "You should be proud."


	8. Kakarot's Sentimentality, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Kakarot's Sentimentality**

Page 4

"Well," Bardock said, glancing back at Kakarot. "It's certainly better than the alternative." He got to his feet, gazing down at his son. "What's the nature of his instability, Prince?" He paused. "He _does_ talk, right?"

"Yes. He has the ability to raise and lower his power at will." Vegeta leaned back. "And the ability to sense energy without a scouter."

Kakarot looked back, blinking. Hadn't the Prince said not to mention that to anyone? Did that mean that a father was special in some way? Vegeta inclined his head slightly, and he looked up at his father. "Um, yeah. They came to the lab, and the Prince wanted me to be his second," He shrugged. "I didn't know I had a father."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "Guess they never told you. Well, being an Unstable, I don't imagine they'd tell you much." He frowned and looked up at the Prince again. "What made you choose him in the first place, Prince? Why were you looking at Unstables?"

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "We weren't. My father was checking on the compound for healing capsules. Kakarot had been marked as Unstable due to his mission as an infant, but they never learned about his ability to sense or suppress energy." His eyes narrowed slightly. "To them, he was a normal saiyan child that got pegged wrong. They apparently let him wander at will."

"What, they never realized he could suppress his energy?" Bardock looked back at his son. "That's a pretty nifty gift. You could catch your opponents off guard with that."

Kakarot swelled with pride, grinning.

"Well, guess I am proud, then." Bardock grinned back and ruffled Kakarot's hair. "Keep it up, kid. So, you're going to serve as the Prince's second, huh? That's a big honor."

Kakarot beamed. "Sure is! I'm doing my best!"

Bardock chuckled. "You're not so bad, kid." He looked up. "Not to cut this short, Prince, but unless you have anything else, I _do_ have orders to go to Kanassa."

The Prince flicked his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Wait, but Kanassa's dangerous!" Kakarot blurted, suddenly frightened again. "You'll come back, right?"

Bardock gave him a grin. "Heh, give your old man some credit, Kakarot. I know the risks. I've cleared plenty of planets before. We'll kill them all and be back here before you know it." He smirked and turned on his heel, striding out. "See you around, kid!"

Kakarot stared after him, his eyes wide with shock.

Vegeta got to his feet, patting himself down. He hopped off the dais and walked up beside Kakarot. "There. That actually went pretty well, all things considered." He paused. "Kakarot?"

"What does he mean, kill?" Kakarot asked, looking back at Vegeta. "Is that what… clearing a planet…"

Vegeta blinked in surprise. "Yes." He frowned. "We can't exactly sell off a planet if the people on it aren't dead yet."

Kakarot flinched. "But… then…" He looked troubled. "That means… they don't want you to take the planet…"

_Great. He's a softie._ "Well, you'd hardly give up your home willingly, would you? Look," He grasped the front of Kakarot's armor. "It's the only way we get paid, and if we don't get paid, we can't get food. And without food, we die. It's either them or us. If you don't feel like killing, then I don't have any use for you as my second. You'll go back to the lab. Do you understand?"

Kakarot looked down. "Yes, Prince." He mumbled.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "So? Are you still my second?"

Kakarot hesitated, but the threat of going back to the lab seemed to settle him. "Yes, Prince." He repeated morosely.

"Good." Vegeta released him, then turned to leave. "Let's go. I'll take you on a mission so you can see what it's like."


	9. Trial Run, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trial Run**

Page 1

The Prince arranged for a mission fairly quickly; Planet Arlia wouldn't produce as much of a profit, but it was at a level that he was comfortable with handling on his own in case Kakarot lost his nerve.

As they prepared to leave, he looked over at Kakarot, who was fidgeting with his gear. The Prince paused. He could just send Kakarot back now. If the thought of killing already sickened him, the situation wasn't likely to get much better when the killing actually started. There were plenty of other elite warriors out there who would kill just for the chance to be the second of the Prince.

But Kakarot had the ability to sense energy, as well as suppress his own. And his personality, so completely empty of ambition or implied meanings, had grown rather refreshing to the Prince. Vegeta was starting to get involved in the political intrigue in his father's court, not to mention the power plays that happened between the different warlords of their region of the galaxy. Even at a young age, he had found that he needed to stay on guard at all times, and it was exhausting. Kakarot alone didn't play that game; the insane saiyan had no concept of double meanings and inferences and the power of rhetoric.

And in all honesty, Vegeta didn't want to give that up.

"Kakarot,"

The young saiyan looked up, his expression still unhappy. "Yes, Prince?"

"Let me put it to you this way." Vegeta said as he adjusted his glove. "That planet is on the request list. Someone will eventually come and wipe them all out whatever we do. What you _can_ do is make it quick and painless. Kill them, but do it quickly so they don't have a chance to feel pain or fear or hopelessness. As bad as it is, there are people out there who enjoy toying with their victims. Some will take weeks just so that the few survivors will be crushed long before they actually die."

That didn't really change Kakarot's expression. "Do… do you?" He asked.

Vegeta hesitated, then turned away, rolling his shoulder. "I've learned to get entertainment where I can." He said tersely. It might be a dirty trick, using rhetoric against Kakarot's innocent mind, but if it kept him around, it was better than admitting he loved playing with his food. He glanced back, but didn't quite look at Kakarot, as if this next bit was hard to admit. "I could be persuaded otherwise."

The young saiyan hesitated, and for a moment Vegeta wondered if he would figure it out. But then Kakarot nodded. "Okay."

* * *

The section they landed on was remarkably barren, with naught but wasteland stretching in all directions. Kakarot emerged from his capsule and stretched his legs, yawning. The journey had taken three weeks; the longest he'd ever been asleep.

"Prince?" He called, sensing around, then turned to see that Vegeta's capsule had landed a short ways away. He flew over as it opened. "Hey, Prince!" He grinned. "Good morning!"

Vegeta snorted and clambered out of the capsule. "'Good morning'?" He echoed darkly, patting himself down and stretching himself out. "Let's see…" He looked around.

"Vegeta, do we really have to do this? Er, sorry, Prince?" Kakarot asked, losing some of his chipper attitude as he remembered why they were there.

"I've told you already, if we don't, others will. The idea is to make sure they don't suffer." He took off his scouter. "I'd like to practice a little before we get started, though."

"Practice what? Oh, sensing energy?" Kakarot asked.

"Yes. Fly around, try not to make any noise. I'll close my eyes and see if I can figure out where you are." Vegeta set the scanner down and stepped away from it so he wouldn't step on it accidentally.

Kakarot lifted into the air. "Just fly around?"

"Yes. Silently." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Kakarot said it was like an intuition, a gut instinct, guided by controlling his energy. It was something that the young saiyan did without even thinking, but if Vegeta ever wanted to be that good, he had to practice.

"Try letting your tail move around," Kakarot's voice said from somewhere behind him. "I always see better if I do."

"Shut up, Kakarot." Vegeta grumbled, having been about to raise his hand… in the wrong direction. After a moment of concentration, he decided to test Kakarot's theory. His tail flicked loose from around his waist, and he let it slide back and forth through the air.

He pointed.

"Oh, close, good," Kakarot cheered. "Okay, maybe I should move a little more slowly."

Vegeta bit back a retort and went back to focusing. It was a lot easier out here, actually, with no power levels nearby to confuse him. That wasn't exactly the kind of proficiency he wanted to have, but at least it was a start. He pointed again.

"Better! Almost got me!"

He pointed.

"Wow! You were fast that time!"

Vegeta opened his eyes. Kakarot was floating upside down right in front of him. "That one I figured out because you disturbed the air." He replied, bending to pick up his scouter. "That's enough for now."

Kakarot flipped around and landed. "Good, because there are a couple of powers coming up from over there. Four, actually; two sets that are really close to each other." He flicked his tail and started stretching, limbering up. "I guess we start with them, huh?"

Vegeta glanced over at him. "You okay with this then, Kakarot?" He asked as he wrapped his tail back around his waist.

"Not really, but I was thinking about what you said. And I guess if I'm strong enough, I can do it quick." Kakarot straightened and turned.


	10. Trial Run, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trial Run**

Page 2

Two Arlians, astride large beetle-like mounts, appeared over a hill and came down to them. Both looked like warriors of some kind, but their power levels were fairly low. Like their mounts, the Arlians were insect-like, though they had torsos, arms, legs, and heads, much like most sentient races.

"You are trespassing on Arlian territory!" One of them shrieked.

"Make one move and we'll blast you!" The other hissed.

Kakarot looked over at Vegeta, his tail flicking queryingly.

"Wait, Kakarot." Vegeta said softly.

The first one glanced at his partner. "It was a good day to go hunting after all."

The other one grinned. "Let's give them a proper welcoming." He shifted. "Surrender peacefully or accept the consequences!"

Vegeta folded his arms. "And if we don't?"

"We'll destroy you!" The Arlian shouted. The thing that appeared to be his mouth glowed red, and a blast shot down towards them.

Kakarot's eyes widened, and he jumped between the blast and Vegeta. It wasn't exactly enough to damage either of them, but he was pretty sure it still fell under the promise he'd made to the King.

"Kakarot, move." Vegeta growled softly.

"As your second, I'm supposed to protect you, right?" Kakarot moved. "I don't mind getting a little singed, but you shouldn't have to if I can take the hit."

The Prince rolled his eyes. "That blast wasn't even going to singe me."

"Yeah, but–"

"Nevermind, Kakarot, we'll discuss it later." He added in an undertone.

The Arlian that had fired at them urged his beetle forward. "You have felt only a taste of our power! Surrender, or die!"

"We surrender." Vegeta said.

"What does surrender mean?" Kakarot asked.

"It means we'll be prisoners." He reminded him in a mutter. "I know what I'm doing, Kakarot, just play along."

Kakarot hesitated, but he turned obediently. "Okay."

"Wise choice." The Arlian hissed, hopping off his mount and striding forward, clutching what looked like a metal bar. He pressed a button on it, and two steel cord loops appeared, one at either end. "Hands up." He commanded.

Kakarot looked over at Vegeta, who nodded and held up his own hands.

"Okay." Kakarot looked back. "Here."

As they were bound, one of the Arlians looked at the other. "They're ugly, but they'll be good entertainment for the King."

One of the beetle-mounts was wearing a harness that held a cage. When he saw it, though, Kakarot balked.

"Move it, freak!" One of the Arlians gave him a shove, but he shook them off.

"I don't want to be in a cage!" He exclaimed with a bite of fear.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped. "It's only temporary, remember?" His eyes hardened. He hadn't expected that kind of reaction.

Kakarot trembled uneasily, but he seemed to realize the truth to Vegeta's statement, and allowed the Arlians to shove him in.

"Only temporary, huh?" They chittered. "If you mean you'll die when you come out, sure!"

"What are we doing, Prince?" Kakarot asked in an undertone as they started off, eyeing the bars uncomfortably. "Aren't we supposed to finish them off quickly?"

"Patience, Kakarot. It won't do to make a hasty attack. Just like when you're fighting one person, the battle could be a long, drawn-out affair, or a swift, decisive move and the aftermath." Vegeta leaned back against the bars. "They mentioned a king. And we're supposed to be their entertainment. Tell me," He looked over at Kakarot. "What kind of king 'entertains' himself with visitors?"

The young saiyan blinked, and it occurred to Vegeta that that particular concept may not have been broached yet.

"A tyrant, Kakarot. A very bad man, cruel and sadistic."

"Ohhh, I get it. Wait…" He frowned. "We're fighting him first?"

"Exactly. And without their king, they'll be too lost and confused to put up a fight. Which means their deaths will be easier." It would be hard enough to explain the rest of it. Vegeta leaned back and closed his eyes. He might let Kakarot deal with the king and his lackeys. They weren't exactly shining examples of good morals; that ought to ease Kakarot's conscience. If Kakarot was feeling up to it, he could help with the rest, but if that was where Kakarot stopped, Vegeta would probably just order him back into the pod and put him to sleep so he wouldn't have to sense what was going on.

Sooner or later, though, Kakarot was going to have to learn to kill in cold blood. He wasn't going to get very far as a saiyan otherwise.


	11. Trial Run, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trial Run**

Page 3

After a long and arduous ride, they finally came to a halt. Kakarot was relieved; he was starting to get a little sick from the constant motion of the beetle.

The Arlians descended and opened the cage. "This way." One snickered, and the other prodded at them with his spear.

"Move it!"

"Ow! That hurt!" Kakarot pulled a face and darted around to the other side. Vegeta snorted and moved without a fuss.

They were standing outside a large rocky formation, but from the acoustics, the center must have been hollowed out and open to the sky, because they could hear fighting in the distance. The two saiyans were led in and down, into a dim dungeon lined with cages.

Kakarot stiffened.

"Easy, Kakarot." Vegeta said in a quiet tone. "Temporary."

They were shunted into one of the cells, and Kakarot started fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Be glad this cell doesn't have any rats. The other prisoners ate them all!" One of the Arlians chuckled. They retreated, leaving Kakarot and Vegeta in the dark.

"Vegeta, I don't like this!" Kakarot whined, his eyes wide. "This is worse… it's just like the lab… the other Unstables…" He winced. "It was always so dark in there…"

"Look at those aliens!"

"They're an ugly pair, aren't they?"

They both looked up, and Kakarot ducked behind Vegeta. The Prince's eyes narrowed, trying to pierce the darkness.

Arlians – a number of them. Their eyes glowed red, and Kakarot gave a frightened squeak behind him.

"Maybe they think _we're_ the ugly ones, did you ever think of that?" Another hissed.

"Speak for yourself."

"Be quiet, all of you! It doesn't matter what they look like!" This Arlian had a golden armband, unlike the others. "They're stuck in here just like the rest of us." He turned back. "Sorry if we frightened you. Don't worry, your eyes will adjust." He sighed. "You'll have plenty of time."

Vegeta glanced back. "Kakarot, they're nothing to be afraid of." He said quietly. "We won't be here very long." He paused, hesitating over the next statement. "I'll avoid cages next time if they bother you so much."

"Sorry, Prince," Kakarot mumbled, then shook himself and came up to stand beside him.

"I'm sorry about the trouble. I'm afraid you've come at a bad time. The new king of Arlia is a tyrant, cold and ruthless." The Arlian said, taking a couple of steps forward to stand in the lead. "He uses the prisoners for his own amusement. He even went so far as to steal my wife, Lemlia, on the day that we were to be married." He looked down at the golden armband. "So you can imagine the pain I feel."

Kakarot glanced at Vegeta. "Married?" He whispered, his tail flicking uncertainly. "What's a wife? Is that a kind of Arlian?"

The Prince twitched. "I'll explain that later, Kakarot." He muttered. "No, it's not." He glanced around. "I think we've heard enough, though."

"We have?" Kakarot blinked. "What did we hear?"

"Enough to go on. Break your bonds, Kakarot." Vegeta flexed his muscles, and the cords snapped.

Kakarot complied with relief. "Awesome! They were starting to bother me."

"What? You have the strength to break your bonds?" The Arlian gasped. "Could it be possible? Can you free us?"

Vegeta looked over at Kakarot. "Go ahead, Kakarot. Blast the door down."

The young saiyan gave him a delighted grin. "You bet!" He widened his stance, forming a ball of power in each hand, then brought them both to the front with a shout. The energy blasted the bars clean away.

The Arlians stood stunned. "Amazing! Why did you allow yourselves to be captured if you had this kind of power?"

"Great. Kakarot, next time, do it with less gusto." Vegeta strode out, turning and blasting the warden, who had come running to the commotion.

"Gusto?"

"Enthusiasm. In other words, do it more quietly. I like having the element of surprise." Vegeta started up the stairs. "Come on."

"Coming!" Kakarot beamed and followed, giggling with delight.

"Kill any of the guards who stand in our way."

Kakarot hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" Vegeta growled softly.

"No, I…" Kakarot swallowed.

"They put you in that cage, Kakarot. If it had been up to them, you would have spent the rest of your life in that. It's not like we even got a chance to explain ourselves." Vegeta pointed out, his eyes narrowing. "Kill them."

"R-right." Kakarot flew ahead of him.

"Do it quickly, Kakarot! Screaming tends to get on my nerves." Vegeta added.

Kakarot glanced down, then up again and gave a start as he came face to face with one of the Arlians. He hesitated, but the guard drew his sword with a shout. "Hey! You shouldn't be out of your cell!"

"Sorry!" Kakarot gasped, whipping up a hand and firing, his eyes shut tight.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, staring at the smoking mass. There was little time for horror, though.

"Kakarot, stay focused." Vegeta growled. "There are more coming."

Kakarot whirled.


	12. Trial Run, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trial Run**

Page 4

"Stop here, Kakarot." Vegeta said as the two of them, followed by the other prisoners, reached ground level.

Kakarot stopped and stared around at the bodies. There were so many, and they'd only just gotten started.

Vegeta stepped up beside him. "Let's go." He stated.

Slowly, Kakarot looked up. It hadn't seemed real. Even now, he knew he should feel something, but for some reason, he didn't. Not really. Just distantly.

The center of the rock formation was hollowed out; a giant arena stood in the center, the edges lined with seats and sparsely populated with other Arlians. One point was a throne, upon which sat the king, and beside him, a pink Arlian, both dressed in fineries. The pink one was wearing a golden armband identical to the Arlian from the prison.

"Aliens?" The king was saying. "Have the guards bring them to the arena immediately. Maybe they can provide some entertainment fit for a king."

"Don't put yourselves out. We're already here." Vegeta smirked as he walked forward, Kakarot at his heels.

The king gave a start. "What's the meaning of this? Why don't these prisoners have an armed escort in my chamber?"

"I don't know, sire!" The one nearest him looked like a captain of sorts. "No orders were ever sent to the dungeon!"

Vegeta sneered, folding his arms as he came to a halt. "Your guards met with an… unfortunate accident."

Kakarot glanced at him. The expression on his face… Kakarot frowned and looked up at the king.

"How dare you!" The king roared. "Soon it will be your turn to meet with an _unfortunate accident_!" He looked at the pink Arlian. "You may not want to watch this, my dear."

"Very well." She said breathily, turning her face away.

"I'll see to it that my guards make short work of these repulsive creatures." He turned back. "Yes, let's see." He mused. "Which one of you will fight first?"

Vegeta glanced over at his companion. "Go on, Kakarot."

"Right." He stepped up, and Vegeta stepped back.

_Seems he's getting over the shock rather well. At least his saiyan blood isn't completely dormant._ He glanced around. _I'd better tone it down. I told him I get entertainment where I can, but the less I flaunt it, the better. At least until he's had a taste for himself._

The king raised his hand. "Come forth, Champion!"

An Arlian entered the ring from a side-entrance. This one was slightly bulkier than the others, and had a number of scars across his body. Vegeta backed up to the edge of the ring and leaned against the wall, watching. _Well, not exactly a challenge, but let's see how Kakarot handles this one._

"Teach them both a lesson!" The king shouted.

The Arlian rushed forward. Kakarot darted sideways, then gave a start when the Arlian just kept running. "Vegeta!" He flew back down and whirled, kicking the blade from the Arlian's grasp.

Vegeta gave him an annoyed glare. "Prince."

"Right, sorry," Kakarot turned and lifted a hand, throwing a ball of power at the Arlian, who turned to dust.

"And hold back a little more, Kakarot, you're overdoing it." He added.

"Well, I'm trying not to spare them, Prince," Kakarot rubbed the back of his head. "It's hard."

"You'll have plenty of practice. But if you use too much energy now, you won't be in any condition to finish the rest of them off quickly." Vegeta pointed out.

"Well, well. Not bad." The king growled, clasping his hands together thoughtfully. "But I have ten of my finest warriors, all of whom have mastered energy, just like your friend."

Vegeta smirked. "You'll find his energy's hard to match." He yawned and leaned back against the wall. "He could beat them all blindfolded."

"I'll see you suffer for your insolence!" The king shouted furiously. "Come forth, my elite!"

Ten Arlians rushed into the ring this time, towering over the two saiyans. Kakarot glanced around, then put himself between Vegeta and the pack.

"Fire!" The king roared.

Kakarot threw up a barrier as the blasts came down. "You're not talking very nice to them, Prince," He glanced back.

"Like I said before, I get my entertainment where I can." He studied his fingers. "It's called trash talk, Kakarot. If you get the hang of it, it can be quite amusing. Besides," He added, "We're here to kill them, not play nice."

Kakarot looked up as the barrage ended. The Arlians looked astounded to see them still standing.

"Go on, Kakarot. Try it." Vegeta urged. _It will help lower his sensitivity to them if he learns to insult them._

"What do I say? I've never used trash talk before…" Kakarot hesitated. "Um… you guys stink. Sorry," He added hastily.

"Don't apologize!" Vegeta snapped. "What's the point if you apologize?"

"Sorry!"

"Gah!" He rolled his eyes. "We'll have to work on that."

"I'll make you pay!" The king snarled. "If you think you can just walk out of here, you are sadly mistaken!" He leaned forward. "Guards, attack! Destroy them!"

"Go, Kakarot!" Vegeta ordered.

Kakarot bounded forward, his eyes narrowing, and darted among them, firing short bursts of energy. Wherever he went, Arlians dropped. Those among the stands came leaping down as well, but Kakarot just dealt with each of them in turn, moving too quickly for them to follow.

"Die, freak!"

Vegeta glanced up as one of the Arlians ran at him. "Really now?" He queried. "You're having enough trouble dealing with one of us, you want to try to drag me into the fight too?" He snorted and shifted, but Kakarot jumped between them and threw a blast.

"Release Yeti! Release Yeti!" The king shouted, sounding rather more frightened.

"I got this, Prince," Kakarot said as he braced himself.

The ground on the far side of the arena opened up, and a tremendous roar emerged from the pit.

"At least try to work on your trash talk." Vegeta muttered as he settled back again. "That would entertain me more than dealing with soft targets."

Something very large was crawling out of the pit. It looked like a gigantic brown Arlian.

Kakarot glanced back. "What should I start with?"

"Hmm. Insult their heritage. Call them slime or spineless cowards or worms or something." He said. "Feel free to get creative."


	13. Trial Run, P5

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trial Run**

Page 5

Kakarot frowned at the creature. "Umm, you look… you look… you look like a bug!" He looked back. "How was that?"

"Well… that wasn't very original, considering they _are_ bugs." Vegeta rubbed his head. "Try calling him a cricket or insult his parents. I don't know, make something up."

"Okay," Kakarot turned back to the 'Yeti' and flew into the air. "Your mother's a fly!"

It just roared.

"Yeti, destroy these creatures!" The king shouted, coming down from his throne. "They're bad! Very, very bad!"

Kakarot looked down between his legs at Vegeta. "We're bad?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Well, we _are_ here for the planet." He shrugged. "The fly thing was okay, but I don't think the big guy's interested. This one's different Kakarot; don't use energy on it."

"Wait, but you said–"

"Forget what I said. This one's stronger than the others, you can afford to actually battle with it." He glanced at the creature, which was frothing and crouching. "Besides, I don't think it's sentient."

"Sentient?"

"A person. Now turn around and pay attention! It's about to attack." Vegeta eyed it. He might have to actually move around this time.

Kakarot flipped around and turned to face the creature, which lashed out with one of its large arms. He dodged, then flew around the side. The creature followed him, roaring. Blasts of energy lanced past, and he ducked and dodged around them.

"Ah! Prince!" He flew down and put up a barrier just as the creature's arm came flying down.

Vegeta tilted his head, considering the young saiyan. "Well, look at that. Thank you. I was afraid I was going to have to actually move." He growled sarcastically.

"Don't worry, I got this, just watch!" Kakarot grinned and flew upward, grabbing the arm as he did and dragging the creature into the sky. "Come on, big guy! Up you get!" He flew upwards, carrying the beast.

Vegeta glanced up. The king looked astounded. "No! This is impossible!"

"Finish it off, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted, smirking. _That's it, Kakarot. Kill it!_

The young saiyan gave a tremendous roar and whipped the beast over his head and back down again. The creature dropped with a howl, the thud of its landing shaking the entire arena. Kakarot powered up and shot down, drawing back his fist. "HA!"

The creature shrieked, but the cry was cut short. It trembled, shuddered, then stopped and moved no more.

"No!" The king shouted, turning and running back up the stairs to his throne.

"Coward." Vegeta spat.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" The king gasped, ducking behind the throne.

Kakarot looked down. "Prince?"

Vegeta flew up and pointed a finger. "No mercy, Kakarot." He reminded him, sending a beam of energy down to the cowering Arlian tyrant.

* * *

Kakarot blinked and looked around. "I think that was the last of _those_ ones." He said, following the Prince back down to the arena.

"Yes." Vegeta said, folding his arms.

"Do you two realize what you have done?"

They looked back to see the Arlian with the golden band from before appear from behind a pillar.

"You have freed our planet from centuries of bondage!" He gasped, relief clear in his voice. "At last, Arlia is a place where a new beginning can be made. From now on, you two visitors from space will be known as heroes among our people." He promised.

Kakarot looked over at Vegeta, feeling a sense of discomfort. "Prince…"

"No, Kakarot." He said quietly.

"I can't begin to tell you how very grateful I am." The Arlian continued, oblivious.

Vegeta looked over at his companion. "Do it."

"You will always be welcome here." He held out his hand.

Kakarot hesitated, then winced and closed his eyes. "Sorry." He whispered, raising his own.

* * *

"That's the last of them." Vegeta reported, switching off his scouter. "Good job for your first mission."

Kakarot was silent. His tail, normally so full of life, hung limp. Even his unruly hair seemed to droop.

"Let's head back to the capsules." The Prince said quietly.

"That was wrong." Kakarot said at last, gazing down at the planet below. "We freed them, then we killed them. I killed them."

"Life hardly ever goes the way we want it to, Kakarot." He folded his arms. "Does the lab have more appeal now?"

Kakarot looked away. "At… at least I didn't have to kill anyone." He mumbled, but shook his head.

"Planets with higher power levels are a lot better." Vegeta promised. "Remember how you felt while fighting that giant one? Like that, without the weaklings."

Kakarot nodded limply.

"Come on." Vegeta turned and started off, and Kakarot followed. "Being the Prince, I get my pick of whatever jobs I want. This was a test run, to see if you had it in you to kill. Other jobs won't leave such a bitter taste in your mouth."


	14. Allowances for Insanity, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Allowances for Insanity**

Page 1

Kakarot paused in front of the door and raised his hand to knock, but before he could, the door opened, and he had to jump back to avoid being hit. "Ah! Prince!" He bowed, and Vegeta looked down.

"Oh, there you are, Kakarot. Have you finished your training?"

"Yes, sir." Kakarot straightened. "What is it?" He added hesitantly at Vegeta's look.

"Nothing, we're just selling Kanassa to the Warlord Frieza instead." He snorted. "And now he wants to hire us to clear planets for him, and only him."

"Why?"

"He's paying us a lot more than any other client." The prince looked annoyed. "He wants to control the entire galaxy."

"Really? I'm sure we'll get a lot of high-level jobs if he's going to do that! I don't think Lord Gulakik will be very pleased about this…"

Vegeta strode off, Kakarot trailing behind him. "Of course he won't. He's already mad that we made the transaction with Frieza over Kanassa, which should have been his."

"I'll bet." Kakarot chuckled, then cocked his head. "Where are we going?"

"Well, my father's vulnerable since we're low on resources and the fact that Lord Gulakik doesn't pay well anymore. Not since we became 'allies'. And Father can't keep up with the alliance anymore without good funding. So he approaches Lord Gulakik, who is forced to reveal he's low too. Lord Frieza orchestrated the whole thing. He's a genius, and now we have to serve him if we want to survive. Which means pulling out on Lord Gulakik, Lord Bezakhaz, Lady Maliam, and everyone else we have contracts with."

Kakarot frowned, looking up at the ceiling as he trotted along beside the prince, his hands behind his head. "So then that means we're his servants now. Is that why you're mad?"

"Yeah."

"Are we going to see the king?"

"Yeah."

Kakarot paused, looking around. "He's over that way." He pointed, and Vegeta thrust down his hand.

"You don't have your scouter! What have I told you?"

"Oh, right," He rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "I crushed it accidentally while training."

"What, _again_?" Vegeta muttered.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Kakarot winced and ducked his head.

"Fine. We'll pick up another one after we've talked with my father." Vegeta turned and hurried up the stairs.

"Wait, if Kanassa's done, that means my father's back!" Kakarot realized. "I wonder how he's doing… Hey, Prince, can I go see if I can find him? It's been a few months, he took a while on Kanassa, I wonder if he's okay–"

"Hush, Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped angrily.

They rounded a corner and very nearly ran into the King. The Prince skidded to a halt, and Kakarot bumped into him from behind.

"Whoops, sorry!"

"What is this?" The King growled as the two young saiyans recovered themselves.

"Father, we shouldn't be turning our backs on other revenue." Prince Vegeta growled as he stepped around his second. "We're saiyans. Why should we serve only Lord Frieza?"

"Son, he is controlling the entire market. He'll starve us if we don't. And none of the others have what we need anymore. He'll bleed us dry or have our help. It's not like he isn't paying us." The King folded his arms. "Do not question my decision."

The Prince blinked, then spun on his heel. Kakarot watched him go, then hastily bowed to the King and hurried after him.

"Prince, wait up!" Kakarot gasped as the Prince rounded the corner. "My father's back, can I go check up on him?"

"What? Fine, go if you want, what do I care?" He snarled.

Kakarot backpedaled, then grinned ruefully. "Guess I'll give you some space, huh?" He started to leave, then stopped and looked back. "Or do you wanna spar for a bit?"

Vegeta stood there, grinding his teeth, his fists clenched. They were saiyans! They served no one but their own. They offered their services to others, of course, but they weren't at the beck and call of anyone. To think that Frieza had taken over just like _that_ made his heart churn with rage.

"Let's go spar," Kakarot hopped in front of him, leading the way.

The Prince struggled for a moment, glaring at Kakarot's audacity, but the idea wasn't actually half bad. He thrust his fist into the wall, denting it. "Fine." He snapped, then shoved Kakarot out of the way. "Don't forget your place."

"Right." Kakarot rolled with the punch easily enough, and the two went down to the sparring chambers.

As Vegeta turned to face his second, he found himself already feeling better. The promise of battle excited him, especially against Kakarot. The young saiyan had improved drastically as a fighter, and though Vegeta was still his superior, it was close enough that their battles always pushed him to his limits.

Kakarot gave him a grin and settled into a fighting stance.

Vegeta grinned back and let his tail flick free of his waist, crouching slightly. His scouter was resting on the counter outside; it was only when they were facing each other that he didn't mind if they weren't wearing scouters. Sure, he wanted to keep their ability to sense energy secret, but anyone watching them fight would pin it down to being able to predict each other's moves. That was certainly part of it, of course, but the other reason was learning to fight using this new sense.

Vegeta took a deep breath… and opened up with a barrage of energy attacks. Kakarot darted off around the arena, moving quickly to avoid getting hit. Vegeta flew after him, then skidded to a halt as Kakarot whirled, ducking hastily under an arm. He thrust upward, his fist making contact with Kakarot's stomach, and added a blast of energy to the attack.

Kakarot was thrown backwards, but recovered and whipped up his hands. Vegeta gave a start and braced himself, blocking the blasts. His eyes narrowed. _He's moving!_ He whirled and caught Kakarot's wrist, whipping him around and pulling him into a headlock. "Gotcha."


	15. Allowances for Insanity, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Allowances for Insanity**

Page 2

Kakarot struggled, but Vegeta just whipped around, hurling him to the ground. He recovered and bounded to his feet, just quick enough to catch Vegeta's fist. He threw his own, and Vegeta caught it as well, and the two surged against each other, growling.

Kakarot shifted and gave up a fraction of ground, and Vegeta, unprepared, stumbled forward into a head-butt. He released Kakarot and shook his head to clear it, looking up to see Kakarot land a few feet away, panting and squinting one eye.

Seeing Vegeta pause, Kakarot rubbed his head. "Ow."

"Serves you right, idiot." Vegeta muttered as he rubbed his own, flicking his tail. Kakarot was right; he could sense more easily while his tail was free. He wasn't sure what the difference came from, but it was akin to blurry eyesight if he had his tail wrapped around his middle. Maybe his own energy was interfering. In any case, he took the moment to settle down and regain focus.

The two shifted in a circle around each other, each testing the other's resolve with subtle shifts in body and in energy. This time, Kakarot opened up, darting forward and spinning, whipping up his elbow around from the side. Vegeta blocked it, dropping down and thrusting up with both feet. Kakarot was thrown up against the ceiling.

Vegeta whirled around and gathered a quick blast of energy. "HA!" He shouted, throwing it upward.

Kakarot gave a start, but he moved too slowly to dodge it. Vegeta grinned and darted upward, deflecting Kakarot's fist, and for a few moments, they traded punches. Vegeta broke the repetition with a quick roundhouse, which Kakarot blocked, and a double fist to the head, which caused the younger saiyan to drop with a thud to the arena floor.

Kakarot staggered unsteadily to his feet and looked up, grinning. Vegeta grinned back, then gave a start and darted out of the way as Kakarot hurled a ball of energy towards him. Kakarot moved faster than he'd expected, cutting off his flight and using another blast to throw him back into the wall.

The Prince stirred, wincing, and glanced up to see that Kakarot was clutching his stomach, wincing. He used the brief lapse in attention to dart forward. Kakarot backpedaled, reaching up to grab Vegeta's fists, but the Prince thrust his knee into Kakarot's gut, then finished him off with a double fist to the back, sending the young saiyan back down to the arena floor.

Panting, he looked down to see Kakarot stir weakly. Kakarot flipped himself over, looking up with a crooked smile. "Hope that's… all you got…" Kakarot mumbled as he worked himself into a sitting position. "Ow…" He rubbed the back of his neck as Vegeta landed next to him.

"Not _all_, but enough." He admitted. "You all right?"

Kakarot giggled weakly. "Sure."

Vegeta snorted, then bent, helping him up. "Come on. Let's get you down to the healing center."

* * *

Kakarot was quick to recognize one of the other occupants. "Hey, that's my father!" He pointed, and Vegeta looked up. Bardock was floating in a healing capsule, unconscious, and looking rather torn up.

Kakarot hopped spryly out of the servant's arms and hurried over, worried. "Is he okay? Will he make it? What's wrong with his energy?"

"Kakarot!" Vegeta snapped, hiding a wince as his side twinged. "Worry about yourself! He wouldn't be in a capsule if he didn't have any chance of surviving."

Kakarot hesitated, then came back, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. "Sorry, Prince. He just looks like he's in bad shape."

"Hmph." Vegeta gestured. "Get settled."

Kakarot didn't need a full-on immersion; they had only been sparring, after all. Vegeta relaxed, letting himself be checked over as well.

"Nasty business, Kanassa," One of the attendants said helpfully as he tended to Kakarot. "It's a planet of psychics. I'm surprised anyone would want to tangle with them."

Kakarot looked up. "But he'll be all right, right? How long until he's healed?"

"Physically, a few hours. Mentally?" The attendant sighed. "There's no way to tell. His nervous system is producing a very strange energy pattern. It does not seem to be harmful, but until he wakes up, we are honestly at a loss on how to proceed." He rubbed the back of his head.

Kakarot spun around to Vegeta. "Prince, can I stay until he wakes up?" He asked eagerly.

"A few hours?" Vegeta snorted. "You can't sit still for five minutes. You can come back later." He sat down next to Kakarot, allowing the attendants to see to his own bumps and bruises.

"Thanks, Prince!" Kakarot grinned. "You're still better than me, huh?" He laughed. "I keep training, but you're still stronger."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "That's because I'm the Prince. I have royal blood in my veins; I will always naturally be stronger."

"No, I meant because you train. I could become stronger than you are right now if you didn't train, but that's true of everyone. You keep getting stronger." Kakarot beamed. "It's so much fun!"

Vegeta gave him a sideways look.

"It means I always have something to strive for, you know? I keep training because I know you're training too. Kinda like rivals, except you're the Prince and I'm your second."

"Really? You, my rival?" Vegeta gave him a shove, knocking him off the table. "Keep dreaming, Kakarot. Now get up here and sit still."

Kakarot complied, laughing like an idiot.

"Shut up!" _My rival… really… the audacity!_ Vegeta pulled a face and looked away. _As if he could ever compare._

He sighed. The whole point of their spar had been primarily because Kakarot _could_ compare. They were almost equal in strength. He was the stronger, of course, but he honestly couldn't deny that Kakarot was in the same league in terms of fighting prowess. And it bothered the young prince.

But there was another part of him that didn't mind so much. Besides, Kakarot was insane. Allowances could be made for insanity. And Kakarot had no trace of ambition or desire for power. He was perfectly happy following every order Vegeta gave him. Why should he feel threatened? Kakarot might be close in power, but he was still weaker. At least he could provide the Prince with a challenge.


	16. Allowances for Insanity, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Allowances for Insanity**

Page 3

As they headed back from the healing center, Vegeta glanced up. A ship was descending in front of the palace – in the open square. Ships weren't permitted to land there in the first place, but when he recognized the ship, a flash of rage rekindled in his heart.

"Hey, what's going on? Why is someone landing there?" Kakarot asked, bemused.

"Frieza!" He spat, his lip curling in a snarl. "That pompous bastard, waltzing in like he owns the place!" He broke into a run, and Kakarot hurried after him.

"Wait, Prince!" The young saiyan darted in front of him. "Calm down! This isn't how you want to approach this!"

"Get out of the way, Kakarot!" Vegeta snarled.

"Not while you're mad!" He returned bravely, though he landed and ducked deferentially. "There are too many powers on that ship that are way too strong for any of us to handle. We'd be slaughtered. And I'm supposed to protect you." He added.

Vegeta stepped up and grabbed the front of his armor. "I am your Prince, Kakarot! If you don't want to end up back in Freak Prison, you'll watch your tongue!"

Kakarot shrugged. "If I let you pick a fight we can't win, I'll be dead anyway. Please, Prince," He placed a hand on Vegeta's. "Don't let them make you mad."

Vegeta glared at him for a long moment, then shoved him to the side. "Don't give me advice, Kakarot." He growled, but he wasn't running this time.

Kakarot grinned and hurried after him.

A number of the King's elite had come down to the central square as well, attracted by the bold entry of the spacecraft. Several of Frieza's men had disembarked, and the two parties were facing off by the time the Prince and Kakarot arrived.

"This square is off-limits to spacecraft!" One of the saiyan warriors was shouting angrily.

"Lord Frieza will land his ship wherever he wishes to land it!" A smarmy-looking lizard man hissed back.

"He can't just land wherever he wants! This is saiyan territory!"

"You all serve Lord Frieza now, so it is Lord Frieza's territory!"

"He is our client, not our master!"

"Enough!" Prince Vegeta shouted, and the saiyans fell silent.

The lizard raised an eyebrow. "And who's the brat?" He snorted derisively.

Vegeta opened his mouth, but Kakarot preempted him by burying his fist in the lizard's face. The lizard staggered back, clutching his snout with a yowl.

"That's Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans! Prince Vegeta to you, snake-face!" Kakarot announced as he floated in midair. "And I'm his second, Kakarot!" He jerked a thumb at his chest proudly.

"Kakarot, we don't punch guests." Vegeta said coolly, folding his arms.

"I should hope not."

Everyone looked up to see a smallish alien standing at the top of the ramp into the ship. A long, lizard-like tail flicked down and struck the ground. "One would find it rather …unwelcoming."

The other aliens knelt swiftly. "Hail, Lord Frieza!" They intoned in unison.

Kakarot lifted up a little higher into the air. "You're Frieza, huh? Kinda silly, parking your ship here, if you ask me. You _do_ know the landing zone's over that way, right?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, his tail flicking childishly under him.

Frieza stared at him, obviously caught off guard by the saiyan's bizarre behavior. His eyes narrowed, but Vegeta spoke first. "Kakarot, get down here." He commanded.

"Huh? Oh, right," Kakarot grinned impudently and dropped down, landing behind him. "Sorry, Prince."

"Shut up." Vegeta muttered. It was one thing for Kakarot to do what every saiyan loyal to the crown had wanted to do when the lizard had insulted their Prince; it was another thing entirely to insinuate the stupidity of a warlord to his face. "You'll have to forgive him, Lord Frieza. He's a bit of a… special case."

Frieza smirked. "So I see I have met the court jester," He descended. "And the Prince himself is here to escort me! My, my, I feel special." He bowed low, still smirking.

Vegeta bowed back stiffly.

"I'd recommend keeping him on a shorter leash, though." Frieza added with the hint of a warning. "Someone might get the wrong idea."


	17. Allowances For Insanity, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Allowances for Insanity**

Page 4

"You want _what_?" The King growled, his outrage only outmatched by his astonishment at the request.

"Three of your finest warriors to serve me directly aboard my ship." Frieza repeated, though everyone in the throne room had heard him quite clearly. "Surely such a request is not so difficult to comprehend." He gave the King a tiny smile. "Starting with that _wonderful_ son of yours."

The King gave a start and rose to his feet, bristling. "Out of the question! I might have allowed a team to aid your warriors, but–"

"It wasn't a question." Frieza said lightly, interrupting him. And however angry the King was, the saiyan was uncomfortably aware of where the power lay, and he fell silent.

Frieza walked forward. "It was a demand." He stepped up onto the dais. "Here's another one. Move."

The King stiffened, realizing what Frieza intended. To have anyone but a saiyan sit upon the throne… yet he was fast realizing that unlike his other clients, this wasn't an uneasy alliance.

Frieza didn't need them. He was toying with them.

Slowly, unwillingly, he shifted to stand by his son and Kakarot. The Prince was looking on in frustration and fury, while Kakarot was watching curiously.

Frieza turned, sitting down with a smile. "Ooo, cushiony. I was expecting it to be hard and unyielding." He laughed. "Though perhaps I was being generous in my expectations."

He was completely unconcerned with the rage building in the hall, the tension thick on the air.

Kakarot looked around the hall, then back again, and raised a hand. "Hey, Frieza? Er, Lord Frieza?" He hopped sideways, out of reach before the Prince could yank him back or shut him up quietly.

Frieza grinned. "Ah, the court jester. Go on, then, amuse me."

Kakarot flew forward, emboldened, ignoring the Prince's desperate attempts to get him to stop without humiliating himself. "Actually, I was wondering, can I come too? I'm pretty strong myself, and I'm Prince Vegeta's second," He offered as he floated in midair, completely unconventional.

The effect was enough to disrupt the tension as everyone in the hall focused on him. Frieza looked almost as taken aback as before. Prince Vegeta was horrified, and didn't dare look anywhere else. King Vegeta, however, was watching the young saiyan with new eyes, evaluating Kakarot's move. Audacious, but if this worked, it would give the Prince some leverage without actually defying the warlord's wishes: allowing them to save face. What would make the difference was whether or not Kakarot was actually conscious of what he was doing. If he knew that he was getting allowances for his insanity.

The rest of the hall had varying mixtures of horror, annoyance, anger, confusion, and uncertainty, silenced by the insanity of the young saiyan. Laughter broke the silence, and the attention shifted back to Frieza, who was grinning with amusement. "Well, you _are_ amusing! And here I thought saiyans didn't have a sense of humor!" He laughed again.

Kakarot giggled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, they can be pretty stiff, especially the Prince, I mean, I have to keep up with a _lot_ to be his second! But I'm serious," He added, landing and standing at attention. He tried for a moment to wrap his tail around his middle, but it didn't work, so he just did without and stuck to making a serious face instead. "Can I come?"

Frieza was still smirking. The King adopted a closed expression, and turned his eyes away to avoid giving anything away. Kakarot didn't seem to be conscious of what he was doing, but he seemed to be doing it right. The Prince looked up at his father, wondering if the King would be able to prevent this entire thing from happening. When he saw the King's closed expression, though, he felt himself go cold. There was no question, then.

_Well…_ He thought uncomfortably, his eyes switching to Frieza's. _I'd rather he came with me…_

Frieza glanced over at him, and he swallowed, dropping his gaze. Anger coursed through his veins. He was a saiyan! Forget that, he was a _prince_! The only one he should be bending knee to was his father, and only until he had the throne. Not some freaky pink alien. But what could he do? What could any of them do?

"Sure. I suppose I could use a laugh." Frieza chuckled, startling everyone in the room. He looked over at the King. "Well, now you only have to choose one."

The Prince gave a start and looked back at Kakarot, who grinned and trotted back over to him. _Wh–_ Then it hit him. _Kakarot._

_A lot of allowances can be made for insanity._ He gritted his teeth.

Kakarot saw his annoyance and stopped, ducking hastily around behind him. "Well, I am your second," He whispered as the King stepped forward.

"Shut up, Kakarot." Vegeta hissed back, glaring off down the hall. _Damn._

_I'm a prince. Why? Why do I have to serve Frieza?_ His fists clenched, and he barely heard his father choose Nappa as the third member. _It is my destiny to be King, not… not… not some slave at the bidding of that freak…_


	18. The Night Visit, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Night Visit**

Page 1

Kakarot came awake with a start. It was dark out; Frieza had decided (much to the chagrin of the saiyans) to stay the night. The King had been hospitable enough, since it meant that the Prince would have a little time to prepare himself before being taken away, but this seeming generosity had been punctured by the fact that the three saiyans had to sleep aboard Frieza's ship.

Kakarot sat up silently, looking around. Nappa –a bald elite well-known for his brutality as much as his strength– was snoring in one of the two beds. Prince Vegeta had the other, and Kakarot had made do with the floor. Their 'guide,' a vain green-skinned alien named Zarbon, had assured them that the quarters were only temporary, but had hinted that they would be splitting up.

The young saiyan got to his feet as quietly as he could, watching the Prince for any sign of consciousness. Assured that Vegeta was asleep, he slipped out.

The hallway was bright after the dimness of the room, and it took him a moment to recover. Luckily, from what he could sense the other powers weren't nearby. He snuck down the hall, glancing occasionally over his shoulder as he strained his senses. There were powers in the rooms as he passed by them, but so far no one was in the hall.

He made it to the entrance and stopped briefly, stymied before he noticed the control panel. He flew up to it and reached out, then paused uncertainly.

A door opened nearby, and Kakarot hastily flew up to the ceiling, praying they wouldn't look up and that they couldn't sense power levels. Given the scouter, he was pretty sure they didn't.

"All right, I'm off." The alien said over his shoulder, and the door shut behind him. "Don't see why Lord Frieza has to stay on this miserable heap of rock if we've got what we came for, anyway." He muttered. "If that fool king was gonna do anything, he would've done it by now."

Kakarot watched the alien wander off around the curving hall. Once he was out of sight, the young saiyan breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the control panel.

After a moment of wondering which button to press, he decided to wing it, and hit one. Luckily for him, the ramp started to descend.

"What? Who's there?" The other guard ran to the door, but Kakarot was already squeezing out of the gap.

The night felt refreshing as he soared through the air. Kakarot let out a sigh of relief and twirled, pulling a number of acrobatics on his way down to the healing center. The young saiyan might have been worried if he had thought about what it would take to get back aboard after sneaking off, but with only one goal in mind, he took one step as it came. He knew it would be bad if he was caught, so after only a little bit of flashing off, he slipped down and landed, looking around.

_Wait._

_He's not here._ Kakarot frowned and raised his head, tilting it from side to side. After a moment, he lifted into the air, turning slowly as he tried to sense where his father's energy had gone. There were a lot of energies to sift through; if he'd paid attention, he would have noticed that Frieza's ship had a number of energies flying around. However, since the Prince's had remained exactly where it was, Kakarot didn't pay attention to the rest.

_There!_ He flew off to the launching bay and slipped in through the roof. Row after row of attack pods were lined up, but in the middle of the night, there was very little activity.

Kakarot flew down noiselessly, looking around. _Where'd it go?_ He wondered, puzzled. He had lost track of it on entry, but he was certain it hadn't left. He would have seen if a pod had launched.

_Wait, can he hide his energy too?!_ Kakarot came to a halt and looked around again. _But why's he hiding it?_

"Damn you!"

Kakarot gave a start and whirled, but he wasn't fast enough. Bardock came flying out of the shadows, looking rather unhinged as he plowed his fist into the young saiyan's stomach. Kakarot dropped like a meteor, denting the floor as he hit it. He coughed and spat up blood, his eyes widening in shock and fear. Sure, he'd fought Vegeta plenty of times, and sure, he'd cleared a couple of planets now, but no one had ever hit him with killer's intent and the power to back it up.

Bardock stayed where he was, his eyes wide with madness, glaring down at Kakarot with unveiled hatred. "Shut up! SHUT UP!" He roared, energy gathering in his hands.

"But I wasn't saying anything!" Kakarot gasped, scrambling into a sitting position. "Why are you attacking me?!"

"Get out of my head!" Bardock snarled and flew down, and Kakarot yelped, trying to dodge, but again, Bardock was too quick for him. The energy surrounded the young saiyan, digging into his skin and tearing under the surface.

However, he barely had a chance to scream before it was over. Bardock stood there, panting and clutching his arm, then his face. "No… what am I… Tora!" He gave a start and whirled, running to one of the pods.

Kakarot recovered, whimpering. It felt as though Bardock had burned him inside. His skin was unblemished, astonishing for the damage it had just suffered, but that didn't make the pain underneath any less. He worked his way painfully to his feet, watching Bardock as he entered the pod and started up the flight sequence.

"Hey! No unauthorized launches!"

Kakarot turned his head, seeing the attendant rush out, but Bardock had already started the launch sequence, and the pod shot out and up into the sky.

"Quick! Try to call the pod back!" He ran back, completely missing the young saiyan.

Kakarot whimpered in pain, and lifted into the sky, plotting a course for Frieza's ship. His flight was a lot more erratic, and a number of times he had to touch down, despite the pain it caused, to recover.

Something else filtered through his senses. There were a number of powers down in the central square, outside the ship. They were wandering back and forth, and it occurred to him that they'd realized he had left.

"P-Prince…" He swayed and forced himself into the air again. He wasn't trying to run, after all. He had just wanted to see his father. _So… so much for that…_ He whimpered and stumbled to his knees. He cut off a yelp, which became a whimper. His tail dragged on the ground as he flew up again.

_He's still… in the ship…_ He realized. _Prince…_

He oriented himself on the energy, and flew above the small patrol that was standing outside the ship. The last of his strength got him to a large bulb of a window, within which Vegeta was standing alone before Frieza.


	19. The Night Visit, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Night Visit**

Page 2

The young Prince gazed silently out at the planet. Minutes ago, he had been awoken rather rudely to be informed that Kakarot had bailed. Nappa had said it wasn't surprising, given Kakarot was crazy. The Prince himself had found it hard to believe, but as the minutes ticked by, he began to wonder. He had, of course, tried to sense for Kakarot's energy, but there was too much going on to find him, especially since he wasn't on the ship.

Did it surprise him?

Honestly, it had caught him off guard. Kakarot had obeyed his every command up to this point. And given that Kakarot had practically begged Frieza to come… heck, he'd been the _only_ one who was actually willing to come. And Vegeta had come to believe… what? That Kakarot was loyal? He'd cleared planets at the Prince's command. He'd protected the Prince, even when it wasn't necessary.

Or maybe he was just insane, and Vegeta had put a little too much stock in him. Believed his promises.

Frieza wasn't pleased. His tail was flicking around in irritation. The court jester was mocking him. A stupid monkey was mocking him – begging for his permission, then spurning it like Frieza wasn't the greatest warlord in the region.

There was a small thump, and they both looked up in surprise.

Kakarot was there, one hand pressed against the glass, the other clutching his chest. He looked exhausted, and even as they watched, the young saiyan slid down, losing purchase and tumbling to the ground.

"Well, well, he's back." Frieza muttered.

Vegeta spun around and fled, shooting out of the room before Frieza could react. Off down the hall, out the ramp, and back off around the ship. "Kakarot!" He shouted, flying down to the young saiyan's side. Others had started to gather, and one of them was grabbing Kakarot by his neck.

"Put him down!" Vegeta snarled, gathering a fistful of energy and shunting the others out of the way. He thrust the energy into the soldier – not enough to kill, and not really enough to injure, just enough to push him away. He caught Kakarot as the soldier dropped him. "Kakarot! What the hell were you doing? Where did you go? Can you hear me?"

Kakarot stirred weakly, cracking open an eye. "P-Prince…" He mumbled, then whimpered as Vegeta seized the front of his armor and lifted him bodily.

"Didn't I say _ask me_ before you did anything? I am your Prince, serving Lord Frieza doesn't change that!" He growled, then gave a start as blood spattered across his glove. "Kakarot–"

The young saiyan managed a small whimper, then slumped, passing out with the pain.

Vegeta's eyes widened, and he lowered his arm. Unbidden, his gaze was drawn up to Frieza, who was smirking.

* * *

"Dang."

Vegeta looked up. He was leaning against the wall by the door. The healing room had similar technology to saiyan healing capsules, but much smaller, and Kakarot was the only one injured.

They had left the planet behind; Frieza had explained it as 'waiting long enough.' Kakarot was put in the healing pod, and everyone had essentially scattered back to their duties. Nappa had gone back to bed, complaining about losing sleep to a crazy idiot.

The medic looked over at his companion, who waddled over to take a look. "You sure you have the right entry? That's a saiyan."

"Yes, I know," The first one grunted. "Obviously. But look. This pattern can't be right."

"What is it?" Vegeta asked, glancing from them to the pod, then back, his tail twitching around his waist.

"Well, _physically_ it's a miracle he's alive. He was burned from the inside." The medic shook his head. "But what's strange is his nervous system. The energy patterns are all wrong."

Vegeta's eyes widened.

_"Physically, a few hours. Mentally? There's no way to tell. His nervous system is producing a very strange energy pattern."_

_His father was the same way._ He frowned. _But how could that be the case? Bardock was injured. He couldn't have passed it off to Kakarot…_

_Unless the same thing attacked both of them._ His brow furrowed. _Bardock was injured on Kanassa, though. Did they bring something back? A virus, maybe?_ He felt suddenly nervous. _But how did Kakarot get the same injuries?_

He remembered the request of hours before. Kakarot had asked to stay with his father, and he'd said no, that he could come back later.

_Of course._ He realized. Suddenly it made sense. Yes, it was still a very stupid move on Kakarot's part, but technically, Vegeta _had_ given him his blessing. _So what happened?_ He wondered.

After a moment, he pushed off the wall. "Let me know when you fix his physical wounds. Don't worry about the energy just yet."

They looked at each other, then over at him. "Do you know what it is, Vegeta?" One asked hopefully, but he'd already left.

No sense in wasting any more shuteye. It would take a few hours before Kakarot recovered anyway.

* * *

_Sound filtered through his senses as though he was underwater. Bubbles lurched past him._

_"Get out of my head!"_

_His closed eyes tightened as the older saiyan flew down. It was just like the Unstables; that expression… an expression of madness…_

_Burning… he was burning…_

_Concern. They were draining the tank._

Kakarot stirred, his eyes flying open. There was something over his mouth. With a panicked yell, he tore it off, in the process noticing all the cords attached to his body. He started to throw them off, but then he realized what was going on and calmed down. He was just in a medical pod. Not in the lab. Not Unstable.

"Get him out of there!" Someone was shouting.

"Calm down, you're safe–" The medic paused as he came to the lip of the pod. "Er, are you feeling all right?"

Kakarot looked up. They were concerned, but also wary. He had surprised them; he could sense it.

He relaxed, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Sorry about that, I'm fine now." He said as he got to his feet. Realizing he wasn't clothed, he looked around. "Um, do you have my armor somewhere?"

They both relaxed, and the other one hurried over to retrieve it. "Must have had a nightmare, then, sir. Sometimes the waking sequence is a little jittery." He came back. "We're working on it, of course, but as you can see," He shrugged apologetically.

Kakarot was surprised how quickly he'd dried. _Something in the chemical compound, I guess._ He thought, and started pulling on his gear. "Right, no problem." He chuckled. He tugged his tail through the hole in the back, then let it flick out, powerful and calm. _How am I sensing that? I can tell they were concerned… and now they're relieved._

"Sir?" One of the medics began. "Vegeta wanted to be notified when you were conscious–"

Kakarot's eyes hardened. "_Prince_ Vegeta." He corrected coldly.

"Um, yes sir," The medic hastily corrected himself. "Prince Vegeta. I think he wanted to know what happened."

They all wanted to know what happened.


	20. The Night Visit, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Night Visit**

Page 3

Kakarot pulled on the armor, tugging it into place. "I will be sure to tell him." He said quietly. _Something's different. Very different. My mind is working differently._ He pulled on his boots, his tail flicking thoughtfully. _I can… sense things. I can see things. Things that were there… but I couldn't see them before. Connections?_ He straightened.

"A scouter," The medic offered it. "V– Prince Vegeta informed us that you would need one."

Kakarot took it, gazing at it for a moment before starting off without putting it on. The medics were confused, but that wasn't his concern.

The hall was as bright as always. Kakarot looked down both directions, then turned to his right and strode off down the hall. _I'm different. That energy…_ He could remember the burning sensation under his skin. His mind flew to Frieza. _He wants us as slaves. He wants the Prince to bow and scrape before him. He wants the entire universe to bow and scrape before him, but that's not the point. My priority is Prince Vegeta._ He frowned. _What happened to me?_

It was a little frightening, how differently his mind was working. Before was so different that he found himself agreeing with everyone; he had been insane. But now, it was as though the insanity had been driven off. _Energy. That energy…_ Kakarot frowned. _My father…_ He had inserted his energy into Kakarot's system. It had been intended as an incredibly painful way to kill someone, but he'd broken off… stopped by madness. The young saiyan wasn't sure what had happened, but somehow, Bardock had become unstable, erratic.

_Damage to his nervous system._ Kakarot thought, and his eyes widened. _He damaged my nervous system._ He realized, and looked down at his hands. _I don't think it was intentional, though. He certainly couldn't have known what I would become…_ He stopped, staring at them and trying to understand what exactly had happened to him.

_Whatever it is, I can't let anyone find out._ He realized after a moment. He was, after all, the court jester, the clown, the idiot pet of the Prince of Saiyans. He looked up. That was the only reason he was still alive. Frieza would not have let him live if he had consciously and intentionally defied the warlord. He had been lucky, in a way.

_And now…_ Kakarot felt a grin of irony tug at his lips. _Now I have to play the part, or we're all dead…_

He lifted off the ground. _Weird._ He flew forward.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Vegeta stirred and yawned, then sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Nappa was still snoring, completely oblivious. The Prince pulled a face. "Nappa, wake up!" He snapped, but the saiyan kept on snoring.

The door opened, and light streamed in. Vegeta felt a flash of anger (he hadn't given permission for them to enter), but then the door closed and he saw who it was.

Kakarot bounced forward, soaring through the air as he flew to the foot of Vegeta's bed. "Hey, Prince!" He grinned, then hastily stood to attention and bowed. "I'm all better now."

"I can see that." Vegeta grunted. He got out of bed and took his armor, pulling it on. "What were you doing last night?" He queried in a dangerously soft voice as he put on his boots.

Kakarot rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you said I could go see my father later, and it was later, and it was looking like we wouldn't be coming back, so…"

"So you snuck out of the room, off the ship, all the way to the healing center and back, and that _somehow_ nearly killed you?" Vegeta turned back, tugging his gloves into place.

"Well…" Kakarot hesitated. "_Bardock_ nearly killed me, yeah,"

"What?" The Prince frowned, confused. "Why?"

"I don't know, he was acting like an Unstable." Kakarot shrugged. "Didn't make any sense." He paused. "He shouted 'Tora' and ran off, I think that was one of his teammates, but they got sent to Denmor," He blinked. "Oh, that must have been where he was going! He took an attack pod." He said. "We were actually fighting in the launcher bay."

Vegeta processed this for a moment. "What do you mean, acting like an Unstable?"


	21. The Night Visit, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Night Visit**

Page 4

Kakarot flicked his tail, clasping his hands behind his back. "The other Unstables are all really strange if they wake up. See, the docs had to keep them asleep because sometimes they were really bad. It happened a few times, I had to put them back, they acted angry and scared and talked about things that weren't even happening, telling me to be quiet even though I wasn't saying anything. Bardock acted like that too. Only he was stronger than me and the docs weren't there to make him sleep."

"Stronger than you?" Vegeta gave a start. "How much stronger?"

"Well, I guess he took me by surprise, too," Kakarot cupped his chin, thinking. "Not that much, but he was really, really fast too. Way faster. It was pretty one-sided, I didn't even get an attack off. Then again, he _did_ stop halfway through attacking me anyway."

Vegeta was perturbed. He had already surpassed his father, though he kept his energy slightly lower out of respect. If Bardock was stronger than Kakarot, and Kakarot wasn't that much weaker than him, then Bardock could very easily be stronger than the King.

The strongest saiyan on the planet.

"Are you mad, Prince?" Kakarot asked, wide-eyed as he landed.

Vegeta took a deep breath. If they were ever to be free of Frieza's control, however, they would have to deal with Bardock later. His strength would be an asset until Frieza was out of the way.

He would have to work even harder to improve his own power. He was royalty, after all; Bardock was not. If he put himself back in the lead, then there would be no question.

In the meantime, he turned to his second. "Yes, Kakarot. You are my second; you are not to run off without my permission. I don't care if I said you could. If you are going anywhere, you double-check with me before you leave."

Kakarot nodded earnestly. "Yes, Prince."

"Put your scouter on. And try not to break it." Vegeta turned away in a dismissive gesture.

Kakarot smiled ruefully at the Prince's back. "Yes, Prince."

There was another knock at the door.

Vegeta grumbled in annoyance. "Enter."

The door opened – it was one of the low-level soldiers. "Lord Frieza requests your presence, Vegeta. He has an assignment for you."

"That's Prince Vegeta," Kakarot pulled a face.

"Understood." Vegeta glanced over at Nappa, but the saiyan was still just snoring away.

"He requests your presence immediately," The soldier added.

"I get it. Run along now." Vegeta growled, striding forward. "Come on, Kakarot."

"What about Nappa?" Kakarot queried, glancing back.

"What about him? If that imbecile hasn't woken up yet after all the ruckus you've made, then you wouldn't wake him up if you tried."

"Vegeta, how good of you to come." Frieza was stroking the arm of a hovering pod that looked something like a chair. "What do you think? It will make for a fine mode of transportation, no?"

Vegeta eyed the contraption warily.

"Ohhh, I get it!" Kakarot gasped excitedly as he lifted into the air. "It's like a throne, only moving around! Kinda small, huh?" He tilted his head. "Sure looks comfy."

Frieza's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, oops, sorry," Kakarot ducked down quickly, giving them a sheepish grin. "I'll be quiet."

"It's a little flashy," Vegeta said. "But that may be perfect for a warlord." He folded his arms. "You had an assignment for us, Lord Frieza?"

"Yes." Frieza turned. "I want the three of you to take on the assignment of Planet Diran. It's a small assignment; I expect that the three of you will be more than capable of handling it. But it amuses me to add it to my collection. They are said to have a _fascinating_ architecture – their buildings are made entirely out of a special mirror-like substance that I would very much like to see for myself."

He walked up to the window, gazing out into the vast tracts of space. "I expect that you will avoid destroying these buildings, of course."

Vegeta pulled a face, but bowed deeply. "If it is your command." He said deferentially.

"It is. Make sure your pet understands." Frieza waved in a dismissive gesture.

Vegeta turned, glaring up at Kakarot, who nodded earnestly as they left.


	22. The Destruction of Planet Vegeta, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Destruction of Planet Vegeta**

Page 1

Something was wrong.

Kakarot's eyes slid open, and he blinked in the darkness. The pod was almost entirely pitch-black, with just the faintest starlight filtering through. Why was he awake? The hibernation system was supposed to keep them suspended for the duration of the trip. Sure, this trip was a longer one; a full month out in space. But that didn't explain why he was awake.

_"Son…"_

His eyes opened fully, and he stirred, shifting in the cramped space. "Bardock?" He asked, startled.

_"You were right… and I'm sorry, I should have listened…"_

Kakarot looked around at his communication system, but it was off, as it should be. And that wasn't sound; it was something else. Something he could hear without listening. "What are you talking about?" He asked, recalling their fight. "What happened to you?"

_"Kanassa – psychic power. I passed it on, but it's different in you. I'm sorry… it was too late for me… for us… but you have the chance to succeed. No… I _know_ you'll succeed."_ There was a pause, and Kakarot got the sudden impression that Bardock was watching something. A vision, unfolding. But for some reason, it wasn't filtering through the contact. _"Don't… don't be like him…"_

"Who?" But the connection had vanished. "Bardock? Bardock?!" Kakarot tried to sit up, but the hibernation system was kicking back in, and it was dragging him into unconsciousness. "Father…?" He mumbled as his eyes slid shut.

"Kakarot." Bang. Bang. "Kakarot, wake up!"

The young saiyan stirred groggily. Light spilled in, and he covered his eyes reflexively. A hand reached in, grabbing the front of his armor and dragging him out.

"Naptime's over, Nutty! Out you get!"

Kakarot was tossed unceremoniously to the ground. He groaned in complaint, but it turned quickly into a yawn, and he stretched, only to get kicked in the side. "Hey!"

"Up, Kakarot. Nappa, don't kick him." Vegeta was standing at the lip of the crater, his arms folded. "In fact, Nappa, get moving. There aren't any high power levels; it's just a wipe mission. Try not to break any of the buildings; Frieza's interested in the architecture." He snorted.

"Heh. Right. I'll see what I can do." Nappa guffawed as he flew up. "So, split up, then?"

"What, are you deaf? Yes, split up!" Vegeta snapped impatiently.

Nappa flew off, laughing.

Kakarot got up and brushed himself off, pulling a face. "Jerk. I wasn't even awake yet."

"It's not Nappa's fault if your capsule was malfunctioning, Kakarot. I told him to pull you out." Vegeta turned to his scouter.

"It's not my fault either!" Kakarot complained childishly. "He could've been nicer about it!"

"Enough whining. We have a planet to clear." He turned. "Unfortunately, I think I was right; there don't seem to be any high power levels at all. Which means it'll be like squashing bugs."

Kakarot flew up to land beside him. "Yeah." He seemed oddly perturbed.

"Well, we can finish this faster if we split up. Take out what you can; we'll probably meet up somewhere on the far side of the planet." Vegeta lifted into the air. "Use the scouter if you run into any trouble."

Kakarot watched him go and turned to survey the area. Something was stirring in the pit of his stomach; something… wrong. Not here; this planet was quiet, and pretty much guaranteed to be emptied within a few days. But something else was tugging at the corners of his mind, like a forgotten memory.

_"Son…"_

His eyes widened, but it was only an echo. The conversation he'd had in the capsule… had it been real, or a dream?

He took off.

Kakarot floated above the city, admiring the architecture. It was grand and sweeping; no wonder it was so well-known throughout the quadrant.

He hadn't done any killing yet. Several hours had passed; by this point the people of the planet were panicking. Two genocidal monsters were rampaging across the world, killing everything that moved. Sirens were sounding below, and the people were packed in the streets, trying to flee, but only choking up their exits. He looked down. It would be so easy. He could pick off hundreds at a time without moving an inch.

_"Don't be like him…"_

His hand balled into a fist, his eyes tightening. _I have to do this._ He gritted his teeth. _If I don't…_

Vegeta wouldn't be pleased. He might even try to send Kakarot back to the lab. Not that he feared it anymore… it was hard to be afraid as he watched the terror of so many innocent lives below him. Yet if he had such a problem with it, then why was he devoting himself to Vegeta?

What was he supposed to do?

Yes, the Prince had saved him from a life in a cage. But since being hit by that energy, Kakarot had been changed on a fundamental level. Somehow, he had no desire for self-preservation. Not at the expense of so many lives whose only fault was creating something beautiful. Vegeta didn't care about the lives he ended. He considered it a mercy if he ended them quickly.

Kakarot closed his eyes.

_What am I supposed to do?_ He wondered tiredly. _I can't kill them._ His hands fell to his sides.

{Taking a break. These buggers keep coming out of the woodwork like termites.} Nappa reported over the communicator. Screams could be heard in the background.

{No kidding.} Vegeta replied. {They're only just realizing that their weapons don't work on us. Oh, come on now, you've _tried_ that already!} He grumbled.

Kakarot smiled weakly. _Not their fault. They're dying. They're dying in the millions. They have to try._

Why did he care? Vegeta and Nappa were both killing without remorse. They just considered everyone they killed to be idiots for fighting, fools for running, spineless for cowering…

{Kakarot, how are things on your end? You haven't spoken up in a while.} Vegeta noticed.

Kakarot placed a hand on the scouter, half to crush it, half to answer. After a moment of indecision, he tapped it. "Sorry, I'm just… distracted." He gazed down at the city. Nappa was rotten to the core; he got a kick out of toying with them. He was cold-hearted and unlikely to ever change. Vegeta, though… he wasn't exactly a moral standard by any account, and focused too much on himself and his pride, but there were several occasions that Kakarot could think of that led him to believe his Prince could be different.

Taking in an insane saiyan, for one. Sure, he treated Kakarot as an inferior, but that was really to be expected. And he cared. He wanted Kakarot to be his second; he heeded Kakarot's advice. Kakarot was certain it wasn't enough to change things. Vegeta wasn't suddenly going to spare the rapidly dwindling survivors if Kakarot asked. But maybe… maybe over time. Vegeta had never cared about anyone else. He showed respect to his father, but he was only respecting the station.

Maybe it was a little much to say that the Prince cared about Kakarot. He definitely wouldn't admit to it. But maybe over time. Maybe.

Kakarot dropped out of the sky.

It took only seconds for them to recognize him; his armor was identical to the other two. Terror erupted in the streets, renewing the frenzy to flee.

_I'm sorry._

He closed his eyes.


	23. The Destruction of Planet Vegeta, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Destruction of Planet Vegeta**

Page 2

{Well, all's quiet here. Think that's the last of them in this area.} Nappa was saying. {Looks like it's the farms from here on out. Damn, those always take forever.}

{Just focus on the mission, Nappa. You _have_ been leaving the buildings intact, right?}

{Well uh, there might be a few left…}

{Idiot! The whole point of us coming to this backwater planet was to leave the damn architecture alone! If you can't rein it in, you'll be sitting out the rest of this mission in your pod!}

{Hey, they kept hiding in them! Frieza can fix them up if he wants them to be so pretty!}

{Has it occurred to you that his men _don't know how_? They're soldiers, not construction workers! Tell me you didn't _level_ the cities you took out!}

{Um…}

{You know what, forget it. Just track down the farms and level them. Kakarot and I should have left enough to satisfy his highness.}

Kakarot lifted the communicator away from his ear and gazed at it. A gust of wind hit him, high above the dead city. _Psychic._ He thought as he looked down. One of the abilities he'd had was empathy… and apparently it could work both ways. He had tried to calm a little girl, and he'd felt it affect her.

He'd used it since then, to help ease the transition for everyone else he'd killed. He didn't know what was after death, of course, but he hoped that it had helped, at least a little.

{Kakarot, you haven't moved in a while. Are you taking a break?}

He twitched and let it slip through his fingers. After a moment, he realized it wouldn't break on landing, and sent down a beam of energy. He had no illusions about what he was doing; sacrificing millions of lives, and countless more to come, just to see if he could change the heart of one saiyan prince.

He leaned forward on his knees, gazing out at the horizon. It wouldn't be long before Vegeta came looking. He might send Nappa, but Kakarot doubted it.

_What is it I want?_ He wondered morosely. He wanted Vegeta to be good, to turn against the way they lived. To stop killing just because they were being paid. What did that make him? He wasn't good. Not even when he had been an Unstable; he had had no concept of good and bad. No idea what it meant. He knew now, but he wasn't acting on it. He was letting innocent people die… heck he was killing them with his own hands. All for a long shot to save the Prince of a proud warrior race.

He could leave. He could fly off into space. He knew how to build his strength fast and high. It was part of his physiology. He could come back and try to fight. He knew how strong Frieza was; if he could outpace that, he could stop the warlord and his reign of terror.

But where would he go? Would he really abandon his Prince? Defeating Frieza only meant that someone else would take his place. Lord Gulakik. Lady Maliam. Any of them. Sure, if he could defeat Frieza, he could defeat them, but he was just one person, and not a leader. Just a saiyan with psychic powers and a desire to be morally pure.

_Nothing I do could ever forgive what I've done._ He gazed at his hand._ And nothing could ever forgive Vegeta. We're monsters._ Yet as he studied the individual joints, he felt the resolve burn in his heart again. If he could change it, wouldn't it be worth the effort? Too little, too late, or maybe… maybe if they made a difference now. Even if they couldn't be saved.

Maybe they could make a difference for everyone else. For the future.

Wind ruffled his hair.

"Your scouter appears to be damaged, Kakarot."

"Yeah." Kakarot said softly. "Nappa was being noisy."

The Prince considered him for a moment, then switched off his scouter and walked over, leaning against the wall next to him. "The idiot apparently leveled every city he's been to. So much for leaving the architecture intact." He glanced down. "I get the feeling we're going to have to get used to the… less exciting jobs. As Frieza's… in service to Frieza, he'll be deciding where we go."

Kakarot sighed and dropped his head. "I don't like clearing low-level planets." He said, as if that was all that was bothering him.

"I agree." Vegeta replied, gazing around at the city. "I can see why he likes the architecture, though." He noted.

Kakarot glanced up. "We haven't finished."

"Nappa can take care of the rest. I figured it was fine letting him level the rural stuff." Vegeta shrugged, letting his tail flick loose and twitch down by his boots.

Kakarot watched it for a moment, then looked up at Vegeta's face. "So are we taking a break?"

The Prince snorted. "Apparently you've been on one already." He looked away. "Yes, Kakarot, we're taking a break. Unless you want to help Nappa root out the rest."

Kakarot grinned weakly. "I'll pass."

* * *

{Come in, Vegeta. Vegeta, do you copy?}

Kakarot stirred sleepily and blinked to see that night had fallen. He was sitting on the roof with his back to the wall, and Vegeta was sitting a few feet away. The Prince's eyes slid open, and he raised a hand to his scouter. "I'm here."

{Sir, we regret to inform you that Planet Vegeta has been destroyed. Our analysts have determined it was an asteroid. It happened a couple of days ago, from what we can tell.}

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "So?" He growled.

{We're searching, but it looks like you, Nappa, and Kakarot are the only survivors.}

Vegeta glared at the rooftop.

{Lord Frieza sends his sincerest condolences.}

"Fine." He muttered, letting his hand fall. He glanced over at Kakarot. "Planet Vegeta was destroyed."

Kakarot blinked, then smiled weakly. "Guess that means my father's dead." He noted.

"Yeah."

"And you're the new king now."

"Prince, Kakarot." Vegeta folded his arms. "I'm royal blood… I don't have a kingdom."

Kakarot pulled his hands behind his head. "Think Nappa's done yet?" He wondered.

There was a pause, then, "Nappa, how are you coming?"

{Just a last sector in the north, then I'll be back.}

"Understood. We'll meet you back at the pods. Oh, and Nappa," He added as he got to his feet. "Our planet was destroyed."

{What?! How?!}

"Asteroid, apparently. We're the only survivors." The two of them took off, heading back.

There was a static pause, then, {Damn! That means we're stuck serving Lord Frieza!}

"That would appear to be the case, yes." Vegeta said calmly. "When you're done, meet us back at the pods."

{R-Rodger. I'll be done here soon. Nappa out.}

Vegeta glanced back at Kakarot and switched off his scouter again. "Kakarot,"

"Yes Prince?" He flew up beside him.

"We have nothing left to lose."

Kakarot tilted his head.

"Which means," He spelled out patiently after checking to make sure the scouter was actually off. "I don't intend to serve Lord Frieza for one minute longer than I have to."

Kakarot blinked. "You want to defy Lord Frieza?" He asked, surprised.

"Yes, Kakarot! My birthright was stolen from me, but I'll be damned if I live out my life as his slave!" His eyes narrowed. "You can't tell anyone about this." He added quickly.

"Got it." Kakarot nodded. "I won't tell anyone." He paused. "What about Nappa? Are we going to tell him about this too?"

After a pause, Vegeta shook his head. "We'll let him know once we're making our move. I'm sure he doesn't want to serve Frieza either. But the fewer people who know, the better. I'm only telling you because you're my second."

Kakarot nodded again. "Okay, I understand. I'll make sure not to let anyone know."

"Good. It won't be for a long while. Frieza's way too powerful for us to take head-on, and his lackeys are a problem. But I want you to work on making yourself as strong as you can. I'll be doing the same." His fists clenched. "I am a prince!" He snarled. "I will not bend knee to him, or anyone else!"

Kakarot grinned. "Yeah!"

The death of the planet wasn't something to be celebrated, but perhaps it was for the best. Vegeta was no longer interested in serving Frieza (not that he ever really was).

Now, to make sure that their rebellion happened at the right moment, for the right reasons.


	24. Ten Years Later, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Ten Years Later**

Page 1

"No, and then, and then– the little guy just took off!" Nappa was laughing, pounding the table. Everyone around him joined in, jeering at the crude humor.

Kakarot's fist tightened around his mug.

"Easy, Kakarot." Vegeta said quietly, noticing his second's behavior. The past ten years had done a lot to change the three of them. Kakarot was still insane, but he tended to have a short fuse when it came to cruelty. It was enough that they were genocidal mercenaries, but Kakarot had never taken to cold-blooded killing. He was still willing to kill, but he often took time to come to terms with the lives he had taken. He didn't seem to be bothered by Vegeta's killing, but Nappa's tendency to make a joke of those he'd killed often put the youngest of the three saiyans in a bad mood.

"What happened then? Did she call for her beloved?" One of the onlookers laughed.

"Oh, no, I _sent_ her to him. Hahaha!"

Kakarot released the mug, his hand balling into a fist.

Vegeta got to his feet, and Kakarot glanced up. "Come on, Kakarot." He strode away, and his second hopped up and followed in some relief.

"I'm sorry, Prince, I just… he doesn't have to–"

"I get it." Vegeta interrupted, leading him out of the mess hall and up to the Mission Control. For the first year or so, Frieza had taken great pleasure in selecting missions for them, but though he still gave the occasional assignment, his entertainment had tapered off, leaving the saiyans to choose their own missions, much like many of the other fighters at their level.

Vegeta headed over to one of the terminals, and Kakarot followed, calming down as he took his mind off Nappa. There wasn't anything he could do about it; they were the only three saiyans left in existence. Vegeta didn't have an entire kingdom to control anymore. And though Kakarot wanted to very badly, it was too great of a betrayal.

"Come here, Kakarot." Vegeta commanded, and he came over, leaning on the back of the chair.

"What is it, Prince?"

"Pick a planet."

"Huh? Me?" Kakarot blinked and looked down as Vegeta glanced up.

"Yes, you, Kakarot. Pick one."

"Why?"

"So we can clear it." Vegeta explained patiently. "Pick a planet you want to clear, and let's get going."

Kakarot hesitated, then looked at the screen. "Um…" He thought for a moment, then pointed. "Koshe is a high-level planet," He said.

"Great, then let's–"

"What?!" Kakarot gasped, falling forward as he scrambled to reach the screen.

"Kakarot, what's the big idea?" Vegeta snapped, scooting out from under him and getting to his feet, bristling, but paused. "What do you see, Kakarot?"

"But that's not possible, it's supposed to be destroyed…"

"What are you talking about, Kakarot?" Vegeta came over and shunted him back. Was it their planet? The thought that it might have slipped his gaze…

But no, Planet Vegeta wasn't on the map.

Kakarot pointed at another planet, one on the far edge of the map. It had one of the lowest levels of the region.

"What about it?" Vegeta asked with a frown.

"That's the planet." Kakarot said quietly, looking around. No one seemed to be paying much attention; they'd learned to ignore his bizarre antics. "That's the one I was sent to when I was a baby."

"What?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "And you remember this how?"

"It's called the Z World because it wasn't very impressive." Kakarot said. "Doc always talked about if I hadn't blown it up, I could've been a normal saiyan." He shrugged. "Well, maybe not, but I remembered the coordinates. That's the planet I was sent to."

Vegeta considered him for a moment, then looked back at the screen. "We would have known if it hadn't been blown up."

"I know, that's why it's impossible. But that's it, those are the coordinates." Kakarot looked up. "Can we go there instead?"

Vegeta evaluated. "It's a low-level planet."

He opened his mouth, then stopped.

"We can't just go there on a whim, Kakarot. That's not how it works." He folded his arms. "If we're going, we'll have to clear it."

Kakarot hesitated.

"Not saying you couldn't poke around to try to find out why they're still alive, but Frieza isn't exactly the type to give out vacations." Vegeta shook his head. "Really, Kakarot. Are you actually that naïve?"

His second looked back at the screen, torn by indecision.

"We'll go." Vegeta said.

Kakarot whirled. "But Prince–"

"But nothing, Kakarot." His eyes hardened, and his second quieted. "I don't know how the saiyans could have made that kind of blunder… or if you're even right about it. But it's listed as a mission. You know what that means."

Kakarot stiffened and looked back at the screen.

"Either we go and we find answers, or we don't go and someone else clears it." Vegeta said coldly. "It might not be the place. Maybe no one knows what happened. But if we don't go, we aren't likely to ever find out." He tilted his head. "You could always go back to lunch and listen to Nappa's yakking." Seeing the look on his second's face, he snorted. "Didn't think so. Move." He gestured, and Kakarot stepped to the side.

"Are we taking him? Nappa, I mean?" Kakarot asked, with a slightly hopeful edge that was pretty much transparent.

"Yes, Kakarot, we're taking him. No, don't argue. He's coming."

Kakarot pouted and folded his arms. "He's just gonna level everything!" He muttered.

"No complaining either." Vegeta grumbled as he reserved the mission.

"Oi, Vegeta!"

Kakarot's head whipped up. Vegeta kept working, ignoring the voice. Kakarot's eyes narrowed.

"That's _Prince_ Vegeta, Cui." He pushed off the wall and blocked the purple fish-human's path. "And he's not interested."

"Out of my way, low-level trash! Vegeta!" He pushed at Kakarot's shoulder. "I heard you missed out on the Gatoura campaign!"

Kakarot's eyes narrowed, and he flipped upside down, putting a finger on Cui's forehead and shoving him back. "Not listening, not listening!" He put his fingers in his ears and stuck out his tongue. "Go jump in a lake!"

Cui bristled. "Shut up before I rearrange your face!"

Kakarot grinned. "I'd love to see you try, Cui." He laughed and flew quickly around Cui before landing on his head and bending down. "_You're_ going with an entire battalion." He laughed and hopped off as Cui tried to punch him. "Really _brave_!"

"You monkey!" Cui snapped, then tried to ignore him and stepped forward.

"Uh-uh!" Kakarot pushed him back with his tail. "Not interested!"

"Kakarot, get down." Vegeta growled, pushing away from the terminal. "We're done here."

"We are?" Kakarot landed. "Okay."


	25. Ten Years Later, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Ten Years Later**

Page 2

"What planet did you take?" Cui craned his neck. "What the? Z World?" He straightened and laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "What a joke! That world could be conquered by a _baby_! Are you a _baby_, Vegeta?"

The Prince caught Kakarot's wrist as he lifted it. "Better get moving, Cui. Wouldn't want to miss your glorious mission with our dear lord and master."

"You're just jealous that you don't have his favor the way I do!" Cui jerked a thumb at his chest. "Lord Frieza knows which one of us is more powerful, and treats us accordingly!"

Vegeta smirked. "Yes, that would appear to be the case." Cui stiffened. "You're a footpad; I pick my own missions." He laughed. "Come, Kakarot."

"How– how dare you!" Cui shouted, running after them. "I was hand-picked–"

Out in the hall, though, the three of them came face to face with Frieza. Cui skidded to a halt, his eyes widening, while both saiyans (who had sensed his arrival) bowed low.

"Hail, Lord Frieza!" Vegeta intoned, and Kakarot echoed him.

Frieza eyed the three of them in some amusement. "Not making trouble, are you?" He asked lightly as Cui hastily followed suit.

"No, Sire, of course not," Cui gabbled. "I was simply conversing with Vegeta over his new mission. He's taking on a very low-level one."

Frieza's eyes narrowed. "Does it matter what he's taking? Besides, shouldn't you be preparing? The battalion leaves in less than an hour."

"R-right, forgive me, Sire, I–"

"Get moving." Frieza said coldly.

Cui leapt smartly away.

Kakarot watched him go, then leaned back against the wall, whistling tunelessly as Frieza and Vegeta exchanged catlike pleasantries.

"Out of curiosity, may I ask what low-level planet you have taken?"

Vegeta shifted, but there wasn't a lot he could do. "It's called 'Z World,' Lord Frieza. It's on the far reaches of your domain, and I thought it might serve as a good outpost to open up planets in that region."

Frieza smiled. "How thoughtful of you, my little Prince." He glanced at Kakarot, then back. "But surely the three of you don't need to go. I know how attached you are to your servants, but in my personal opinion, you don't need them slowing you down."

Kakarot blinked and looked up.

Vegeta eyed him tensely and folded his arms. "What is it you had in mind, Lord Frieza?"

"There's a little planet that's caught my attention; it's near Gatoura, and I'd very much like to add it to my collection while I'm in the area. I was hoping I could borrow Kakarot and Nappa for that." He said silkily. "You don't mind, do you?"

Kakarot shifted and looked over at Vegeta, who kept a level expression. "If that is your wish." He said coolly. If he had to do the asking, he would. He probably would have ended up being the one to ask questions anyway.

"Good. Oh, I know your pet doesn't like scouters and never wears them, but I'd like him to wear one for this mission. Be sure he understands."

"Understood." Vegeta bowed deeply, and Frieza left.

"Prince–" Kakarot started, but stopped. It wasn't like they could change anything; they couldn't let Frieza get wind of the real reason for visiting the Z World.

"Go. Get Nappa and go. And as soon as you can, come to the Z World." Vegeta said tersely. "I'll see what I can dig up."

* * *

_There are a lot of high power levels on this planet…_ Kakarot fidgeted with the scouter, a mixture of annoyance and concern crossing his face. _Vegeta can take care of himself. That planet can't challenge him. But…_ He stared at the ground. _But… I'm still scared. Why? Was I wrong?_ He wished he'd checked when the evaluation of that world had been. _How did it survive?_ He wondered.

"Hey, Nutty! Wake up!" Nappa buffeted him. "I said I'll take that half, you take this one." He pointed.

Kakarot glared at him. "Fine." He snapped, taking off and flying across the surface of the planet. _Come on, Kakarot. It's far enough out. It'll take him three more weeks before he even reaches it._

_But it'll take me at least a week to clear this planet, let alone the five it would take to get there…_

He took a deep breath, then dived down. "Better get a move on." He admonished himself. _Besides… the point was to find out about my past…_

_Hopefully Frieza won't try to keep me here…_

* * *

"N-no! Stay back!"

Kakarot raised his hand. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I don't have a choice."

"Please, at least… at least don't… my daughter, please… don't hurt her…"

He sighed. "All I can promise is that I'll make it quick." He gathered energy.

Something jolted through his senses, and he froze, looking up. The energy vanished, and the orlan, cradling his daughter, slumped to the ground.

_Nappa?_ Kakarot frowned. There were several strong powers near Nappa's. They weren't as strong, but together it seemed that they were tearing his energy down.

He glanced at the man, then said, "Guess you're lucky. You have a few more hours." He took off. "You'd only be safe if you left the planet. I won't follow you. That's all I can say." He soared away.

_Nappa…_ He didn't really care what happened to the brute of a saiyan, but if his energy was dropping this quickly, then there was trouble.

The energies were coming from a palace, but even as he approached, he could sense the last of the strong energies fading. Nappa was still standing.

He flew up to the northern wing to find a very posh chamber with a gigantic deck spreading out. A garden complete with a natural-looking stream made the entire thing look like some kind of fairy palace.

A fairy palace scattered with dead and bleeding bodies.


	26. Ten Years Later, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Ten Years Later**

Page 3

Kakarot alighted, well used to carnage by now, especially at Nappa's hand. But these beings were unlike the ones that inhabited the planet they were clearing. These creatures were pale-skinned, with long, tapered ears. Their hair grew in Mohawk-like formations, and they were dressed in battle robes. Most of them had swords.

Nappa was standing, but barely. He was bleeding from a number of places, and Kakarot realized in a detached way that if he didn't get medical attention soon, he'd die. In the garden was one last member of this race, but she was different from the others and obviously not a fighter.

_Great. An armed escort for a princess._ Kakarot paused. _They're from a different world._

_She'd have somewhere to go._ He looked around at the bodies. _And based on their strength, it'd be a high-level planet. I don't think it's Gatoura… they don't look like Gatourans…_

"H-hey, Nutty…" Nappa panted. "You just missed it… they were great…" He smirked. "Real challenge." He started to lift into the air. "Blasted their ship. Haha, ha, ha. No way out. You can take the last one, Nutty… I'm taking a break… coming back in a bit…"

Kakarot's eyes narrowed, and he glanced over at the woman. She was kneeling by the stream, holding one of the warriors in her arms. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she glared helplessly at them, her red Mohawk waving in the hollow breeze.

"Bet she'd… give you a good time…" Nappa was chuckling weakly. "Save some… for me…"

Kakarot felt a flash of fury, and his mind flew back to a number of instances of a similar nature. That Nappa could even _suggest_…

It would be a betrayal.

_But Vegeta's not here._

Kakarot took off his scouter and crushed it, then looked up. Nappa wasn't watching him. The brute had no idea what would happen.

Kakarot powered up, punching him in the side of the head, crushing the scouter.

"What the hell– HEY!" Nappa rounded on him, bristling. "Watch it, Nutty! Vegeta's not here to keep me from pounding you into a pulp!"

Kakarot's eyes narrowed. "_Prince_ Vegeta." He snapped, then grinned. "He's not here to stop me, either."

"What are you– hey, wait! What the hell are you doing?!" Nappa exclaimed as Kakarot powered forward, seizing his head.

"I've had enough of you, Nappa!" He snarled. "You make a joke of the people you kill! You never _once_ stop to consider all the damage you've caused!" He started injecting energy.

"Like you're any better! You've killed just as many as I have!" Nappa seized his arms, but the older saiyan was exhausted and dying already. "Ah… AH!" He yelled in pain. "LET GO!"

"This is for everyone you've ever stepped on!" Kakarot snarled over Nappa's shouts. "This is for everyone you've ever toyed with! Feel the pain they've felt as you tore them apart!"

Nappa was screaming now.

Kakarot grinned darkly. "And unlike my father, I'm not going to let you live." He hissed softly. "No psychic powers for you."

The energy started to leak through Nappa's skin as the saiyan disintegrated from the inside. Kakarot's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hands, crushing Nappa's skull.

He tossed the still-twitching body over the side of the deck, to fall to the planet's surface far below.

The woman watched him warily as he descended, her glassy green eyes fixed on his back, trying to make sense of his actions… though mostly on whether or not he would turn that murderous energy on her next.

Kakarot landed, his tail flicking slowly back and forth. It felt… good to kill Nappa. A surprising amount of pleasure was welling up inside him at the thought of the damage he'd caused. He'd thought about that kind of killing for a while; Bardock would have killed him if he'd injected any more energy. He'd been lucky that Bardock's madness had stopped short of it. But it had left the saiyan with a remarkably cruel method of killing. He knew he would never have used it against planets he was sent to clear, but he'd often wondered if it would work on Frieza. He wasn't strong enough, sure, but…

What did it make him, though? What right did he have to mete out punishment? Torturing a comrade, no less?

Of course, it had very nearly happened the first time he'd been witness to Nappa's idea. Vegeta had been forced to knock him out. It had taken a lot to convince him not to kill Nappa. Mostly because it was a betrayal. And from then on, if it had come up again, Vegeta was good at making sure Kakarot left first. And he'd done his best not to guess what had happened.

His eyes flashed green with fury, but there was no point now. Nappa was dead.

He heard the woman move and turned, looking back. She froze, clutching the body closer to her.

_I can't spare anyone. I don't have a choice._ He turned more fully to face her, then walked forward. _At least he won't… can't…_


	27. Ten Years Later, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Ten Years Later**

Page 4

She tensed, silent.

_She isn't from here._ He hesitated as he reached her, his boots crunching through the dirt. He paused, then knelt in front of her. "Who was he?" He asked softly, respectfully.

She blinked at him, startled. "His… his name was Edobas." She replied, eyeing him. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't have a choice." He winced and looked away. "We are servants of Frieza. Well, slaves really." He looked back at her. "Why did you come here? Where are you from?"

"Konats. We were an embassy, to forge an alliance with these people." She searched his eyes. "Why did you kill him?"

He hesitated. "He was unnecessarily cruel." He said softly, his tail swishing slowly. He reminded himself to focus; she didn't need to know the horror that lay on the fringes of his mind.

She sensed a nuance. "So it does not matter to you that he has nearly wiped out an entire way of life."

"You have no idea." He said softly, mirthlessly. "The atrocities we've committed… can never be forgiven."

Her eyes widened. "What are you saying?" She whispered, horrified.

"I'm saying I'm a monster." He looked up, his eyes old and tired. "I don't have to kill you."

She stiffened.

"I have to wipe out every living thing on this planet. If you're not on it…" He shrugged.

Her fingers tightened on the fallen Konats' arm. "He destroyed our ship. The Orlans are not space-faring."

Kakarot gave a small laugh. "Well… I did just kill my comrade."

She frowned, confused.

"Which means his pod is unoccupied." He explained.

She curled her lip in distaste. "I would rather die."

He laughed again. "Honestly, me too. It's filthy." He pulled out a small controller and tapped a couple of buttons. "You can use mine." He offered her the controller. When she didn't take it, he placed it on the ground and got to his feet, taking a deep breath and letting it out.

"Why?" She asked. "Why do you kill all these people?" He didn't seem like the other one. "You hate this. Why are you doing it?"

Kakarot gazed back, then shook his head. "If I don't… he will kill my Prince. I'm the only defense he has… his only ally. We're the last of our kind." He glanced in the general direction of Nappa's body. "Nappa was just a monster." He snorted. "As if I could talk."

"Is your prince… is he here?" She asked cautiously.

"No." Kakarot switched his gaze to the sky. "He's off on another mission." He looked back. "The capsule will arrive soon. Use it or don't, but if you're here when I get back, I'll be forced to kill you."

She saw the pain in his eyes, and it was echoed in hers. "Why?" She asked, tears returning to her eyes.

"Have you ever had someone you'd do anything for?" He asked softly, then turned away. "Look, it's either that or I have to kill you. I'd really rather not, but I don't have any choice."

She trembled. "You only intend to kill all the others." She whispered. "Do they not deserve mercy?"

He shook his head and lifted into the air. "I'm sorry. That's all the chance I can offer." He paused. "My name's Kakarot, by the way."

She glared back silently.

He shrugged and left.

* * *

_Starlight._ Kakarot thought as he gazed at his hands. _That's what it is._ Light was glittering around his fingers, dancing in his palms. His own energy had been enough to take out an exhausted Nappa. But it was enough of a drain, and it killed too slowly, that it wasn't an attack he would utilize.

He looked up. The star of this system was a white star.

_Starlight._ He thought, and raised his hand. _Maybe…_ He reached out through space, feeling for the star and its light. But before he got anywhere near, he could feel it burning him. He backed off and opened his eyes again, still standing on the surface of the planet.

_I'm not strong enough._ He thought, but he continued to gaze skyward pensively. He could harness the star and its power, if he could figure out how to hold it without burning himself up. And stars had much greater amounts of energy than he could collect as he was.

"Prince!" He gave a start and whirled, looking around at the planet. Everyone was dead. Well, except for that Konats woman, but he hadn't gone back to see if she had left. He hesitated, but then he remembered that the controller for Nappa's pod would still be on his body. He gave one last glance up at the star, then powered away. He'd have time to work on that ability later.

* * *

The pod he had summoned was gone.

Kakarot floated above the deck for a minute, sensing around, but as far as he could tell, she was no longer on the planet. He relaxed and dropped down to Nappa's cold carcass, kicking it onto its back and rooting around for the controller.

_It's not here._

He straightened and looked around. What might have been it was sitting crushed a short ways away. He gazed at it for a moment, then smiled wryly. _Well, that isn't going to trap me here, Miss._ He shook his head and flew away, back to where the capsules had landed.

Nappa's was still intact. Kakarot wrinkled his nose as he opened it, then sighed and sat down. "Well, you could've just said she had to use his. Now you gotta ride in it for five weeks." He grimaced. "At least I'll be asleep the whole time." He started punching in commands.

His eyes widened. _Oh, wait! _The coordinates in his capsule would have taken her straight to the Z World._ She wouldn't know the code to override the coordinates._

He smiled weakly. _Oops._

_I hope Vegeta doesn't kill her…_


	28. Trapped on the Z World, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trapped on the Z World**

Page 1

Vegeta stirred as the capsule's hibernation sequence ended. The lights switched on, and he raised his head.

_I have a welcoming committee._ He realized. Two strong powers were standing outside. He frowned. _This planet is supposed to be low-level._ He opened the capsule and emerged, wincing a little as his legs remembered how to straighten. He blinked in the sunlight and looked up.

"A namek?" He twitched in surprise. _What's a namek doing here?_ He frowned. Standing beside the namek was a short, bald human in an orange gi. Of the two, the namek was stronger, but both had a startling power level for such a low-level planet. As far as he could tell, though, they were the only two.

The human leaned towards his namek companion. "Is this the one Kyen warned us about?"

"They look similar." The namek frowned. "Are you Kakarot?"

Vegeta gave a start. "How do you know that name?" _Sounds like I'm in the right place._ He deactivated his scouter. No sense letting Frieza in on it.

"Answer the question." The namek stated darkly.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms. _Okay, take it easy. You're here to ask questions. Picking a fight can come after you get your answers._ "Kakarot is my servant." He said. "Who is Kyen?"

The namek gazed back for a long moment, then said, "The guardian of this world." He said. "My father."

Vegeta blinked, then inclined his head in acknowledgment of the namek's status. "I'm honored. I am Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans." He let his tail flick loose, briefly amused at the fact that Kakarot's habits were rubbing off. He lifted into the air, out of the crater. "He was sent to clear this planet so we could sell it to one of our clients. However, when he returned, we thought he had destroyed the planet entirely." He glanced around. "I'm curious as to how it survived."

"Tell us how you realized we survived first." The namek returned.

Vegeta gave him a slight frown. "Rude for a namekian, aren't you?" He floated forward, and they stepped back so he could land on the same level. "He saw it on the mission list."

"It was supposed to be erased." The human frowned and looked up at the namek. "Wasn't that what Professor Briefs was supposed to do? Infect the pod with a virus to erase us from their databanks?"

Vegeta blinked, then smirked. "Well, it worked. That is," His expression darkened. "Until we wound up serving the warlord, Frieza. The virus wouldn't have transferred."

"Great." The human muttered. "So we gotta do that all over again."

"It won't work this time." The namek's eyes narrowed. "We can't exactly… erase his programming." He pointed out.

Vegeta considered the two of them. "That's right. All you've managed to do is buy yourselves some time."

"So is that why you're here?" The human asked, balling his fists. "To wipe us out?"

Vegeta smirked in response.

"You'll find that tough, saiyan." He started powering up.

"Krillin, wait." The namek placed his hand on his companion's shoulder. "Where is he?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. _They can raise and lower their power level as well._ He twitched. _Is that how Kakarot learned?_ "He's on another mission." He paused. "Well, he's probably on his way here by now." His eyes flicked to the namek. "What else did you do while he was here?"

There was a slight pause. The namek's eyes seemed to go out of focus. Before Vegeta could decide to ask again (with a little more force) the namek looked back at him. "Kyen wants to speak with you." He stated. As if sensing Vegeta's lack of interest, he added, "He'll have more answers. He was the one who actually dealt with Kakarot."

Vegeta tilted his head, then nodded.

"Wait, are we just going to take him to the Lookout?" Krillin exclaimed. "Kyen's old, Piccolo! If this guy wants to fight, he's not exactly in any condition to fight!"

"He'll have a hard time getting through me." The namek retorted, lifting into the air. "Besides, there are fewer bystanders up there."

Vegeta smirked and followed.

* * *

The Lookout appeared to be a half-sphere with the flat side up. On it was a garden, tended to by a black-skinned creature dressed in white pants and a red vest. He looked up as they approached, then went back to his duties. A small, round house stood at the end of the garden, and in the shadow of the doorway stood another namek, with a much lower power level.

Piccolo landed, Krillin landing behind him, and they strode forward. Vegeta landed and followed, looking around at the garden. Whatever the outcome, it wouldn't be standing much longer.

"I'm rather hoping it won't come to that,"

Vegeta gave a start and looked up at the namek. He was ancient and wrinkled, leaning on a long, gnarly staff. He smiled wryly as he stepped into the light. "I'm upwards on three hundred years old, Prince Vegeta. Hardly surprising that I'm not exactly the image of physical prowess."

His eyes narrowed. "You're a psychic." He folded his arms. "I'd prefer if you kept out of my head, old man."

Kyen shrugged. "Old habit. You are a threat to the world I hold dear." He glanced up at Piccolo and Krillin, then back. "Twenty years ago, an infant arrived on this world, programmed to eradicate all life forms it came across. As you can imagine, as guardian, I was against that kind of wanton destruction."

"So you're long-winded. Why am I not surprised?" Vegeta muttered, his tail flicking around behind him.

Kyen smiled wryly. "I will try to keep it short. Despite the cruelty of a culture willing to send away their infants to commit genocide before their first word, I was not willing to slay Kakarot for something he had no control over. Instead, I purified his heart." He coughed. "A simple matter for one such as me."

"Purified his heart?" Vegeta queried disbelievingly.

"Yes. He is not like other saiyans." Kyen's eyes glittered as he gazed at the Prince.

Unbidden, the memories of Kakarot's unusual behavior leapt to mind. "You mean you're the one who drove him insane." He concluded.

"To one such as you, his loyalty and trust would seem to be that way." Kyen inclined his head, then paused. "I see," He frowned.


	29. Trapped on the Z World, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trapped on the Z World**

Page 2

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't just that." He said, letting his mind fill with Kakarot's childish antics. If Kyen was a psychic, he would be able to see it as well.

Kyen chuckled and cleared his throat. "I admit I am not certain why that is the case." He looked down at the Prince. "He is definitely an unusual being."

"Well." Vegeta shifted. "I'm figuring I know the rest. You took the pod to this 'Briefs' person and had him hack into the system, sending a virus to erase that planet from our databanks." He let his hands fall to his sides. "Unfortunately for you, a warlord by the name of Frieza has since taken over this region of space; my mission is to clear this planet, so he can add it to his collection."

"You wish to be free of him, though." Kyen stated, his eyes piercing Vegeta's. "If you were to ally yourself with us, you will see your wish fulfilled."

Vegeta glared at him. "If you can see into my head, namek, you'll see that isn't likely. Frieza is far too powerful."

Kyen glanced up. "Piccolo,"

Piccolo grinned and started powering up. Vegeta watched with mounting shock as the namek's power level shot up.

It even outstripped his own.

His eyes widened, and he took several steps back, astounded. "How?" He managed, trying to comprehend what he was sensing. Nameks were high-level beings, but their range was far below his own. Nothing like what Piccolo was generating; nothing this high.

Kyen smiled. "As surely as I knew the virus would distract offworlders, I knew it would only delay an inevitable return. I have been preparing for your arrival. My son is a warrior namek, and one of greater power than you." He closed his eyes. "Kakarot will arrive in three weeks, after which my time will come to an end. I cannot see very well past that, but I see your warlord defeated."

Vegeta blinked and braced himself, his fists tightening. "And why should I believe you?" He growled, but his eyes flicked unwillingly to Piccolo, who curled his lip, baring a pearly white fang. _Damn. I'm outclassed._ He bristled. _If I end up fighting them, I'll have to transform. Damn! Outclassed by a namek!_ He hesitated.

Kyen sighed and turned. "Krillin, do as we have discussed." He said, and the human took off. "We do not have a moon, Vegeta, and I have warned Piccolo of your technique to create a synthetic one. Please, do not try to fight. I rather like the Lookout the way it is." He paused at the door. "Mr. Popo will bring you food as needed so you do not have to hunt." He disappeared inside.

Piccolo folded his arms and leaned against a pillar, watching Vegeta with a calculating expression.

The Prince shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't what he'd been expecting. Sure, he was well aware that there were beings out there with the power to defeat him, but he hadn't expected to end up against one here. Piccolo wasn't completely out of his league, but he had the clear advantage. And he was definitely a warrior; there was very little chance of him making mistakes or having obvious weaknesses.

What was harder was that now Vegeta was stuck in a stalemate. They weren't after his life, and they were too powerful for him to take theirs.

_I need to regroup._ He thought. He, Kakarot, and Nappa could take on Piccolo and Krillin as a team. But Kakarot and Nappa weren't here. He was quite alone.

He took off and flew away. With a nasty jolt, he sensed Piccolo following him. He put on an extra burst of speed, but even as he moved, he realized something else. Krillin was down by his capsule.

He shot down into the city and skidded to a halt, his eyes widening with horror. Krillin was dusting his hands off. He looked up, then jumped, surprised to see the saiyan there. "Well, hey," Krillin shrugged. "You got a problem with being stranded, take it up with Kyen. Or Piccolo." He added, and Vegeta looked back.

Piccolo was floating there, a small smirk on his green features. "Nowhere to run, saiyan."

Vegeta stiffened, his fists clenching. "I wasn't running!" He snarled, then shot away, out of the city. This time, the namek didn't follow.

"Kakarot," He tapped his scouter. "Kakarot, come in."

The scouter returned an error, and he gritted his teeth. "Damn it, can't you keep track of a scouter for one mission without breaking it, Kakarot?!" He snarled. "Nappa! Nappa, can you hear me?"

Still no response.

He ripped the scouter off his face and crushed it in anger, feeling a flash of uncertainty. _What if they aren't coming?_ He stared at his hand, and realized with a snarl that it was trembling. _I am a saiyan! I am the Prince of Saiyans! I do not know fear!_

He landed and took a deep breath. _Relax. Orla is not high level; they will come._ He gritted his teeth. His temper was a lot closer to the surface than he liked. Being the errand boy of Frieza… and worse, having his servants taken like they weren't his certainly had a role to play.

_So what if the namekian is stronger?_ He snarled at himself. _You are a warrior prince!_

After a long moment, he relaxed. _Damn it._ He was a virtual prisoner, trapped on this stupid planet far from any allies. It would take a lot of training to make himself stronger than Piccolo, and in the meantime, not only was he at their mercy, but he doubted Frieza would overlook him taking any extra time on a low-level planet like this.

_What if the old namek is right?_

The thought leapt unbidden into his head. Kyen had seemed to be capable of seeing the future. But even with all the power that Piccolo had, they were still no match for Frieza. The warlord was too powerful.

Frustration built in the Prince's chest. _Damn it!_ He repeated yet again. He hated not having his fate in his own hands.

His fists clenched, his tail lashing around angrily. _Fine. I'll train. Not like I can do anything else._

_Someday,_ He promised furiously, his eyes glinting green. _Someday my fate will be in no one's hands but my own!_


	30. Trapped on the Z World, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trapped on the Z World**

Page 3

It was nightfall. Vegeta was on his hands and knees, panting. After some time, it filtered through his senses that someone else was there. He shifted, then pushed himself to his feet. He tried to force his breathing to even out, but the lack of air nearly choked him, and he gasped for breath.

Grumpy, he turned. "What do you want, namek?" He spat, glaring into the trees.

"So, you can sense energy." Piccolo stepped out of the trees and leaned against one, watching Vegeta with the same calculating expression that he adopted every time he saw the Prince.

"And?" Vegeta growled. "What of it?" He tried to keep himself steady. He'd pushed himself much further this training session than previous ones during his stay; figures it would be the one time the namek decided to check up on him.

"Do the others? Does Frieza?" Piccolo queried, watching Vegeta's limbs as they trembled with exhaustion.

"What does it… matter?" He nearly blacked out and stumbled to his knees. Furious with himself, he half-rose, but the light-headed feeling made him stop. It was bad enough on bended knee, but to pass out in front of the namek would be much worse.

"It matters on whether or not that can be used against them." Piccolo pointed out, folding his arms.

"N… no, they don't." Vegeta grumbled, letting his gaze drop and focusing on staying conscious. "They use… scouters."

"That thing you were wearing when you arrived?" Piccolo queried.

"Yes." Vegeta gave up and sat down, breathing deeply. His tail twitched limply behind him.

After a moment, the namek stepped forward. "I brought dinner." He said, setting the tray down on a boulder nearby.

Vegeta ignored him.

"Kyen says Kakarot will arrive tomorrow." Piccolo said, then took off. "Come to the Lookout; we'll take you to where he'll arrive."

The saiyan Prince closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, Piccolo was gone. He glanced over at the tray of food. It wasn't exactly the best he'd had, but that had been years ago, while his father had still been alive.

He looked away.

_Someday._ He promised bitterly, punching the ground.

* * *

Piccolo glanced up as Vegeta descended. "So, you decided to show up after all." He pushed off the pillar. "Come on. The pod will be arriving soon. Krillin will meet us there." He took off, and the saiyan followed wordlessly.

The site was not in a city this time, but near one. Krillin was pacing back and forth, and looked up as they arrived. "Hey guys! Did Kyen have a closer approximation?" He blushed a little as he asked. "I sort of have a date later, and I'd rather not be late for that."

Piccolo snorted.

"Hey! It was the only time she was available!" Krillin added defensively, going red. "It's all right for you and Kyen, you're used to the solitary life! Me, I'd like a little company!" He grumbled and folded his arms, then seemed to realize something and turned. "What about you, Vegeta? Do you have a lady friend?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed.

"I don't even know why I'm asking." Krillin muttered. "As if anyone would date a jerk like you."

The saiyan snorted and looked up, scanning the clouds. Truth was, that wasn't exactly something he thought about. Would he have if Planet Vegeta was still around? If there were other saiyans? Maybe. He was about at that age when his father would be looking for a suitable mate. But now? Not a chance. He didn't need that kind of distraction in his life. Plus, knowing any progeny would only be half-saiyan made his stomach turn.

"What's it like?" Krillin asked, and the other two glanced at him. He was looking at Vegeta. "Er, being a space pirate? Kyen just said you and Kakarot were from a race of killers, but he didn't exactly specify. Are you… mercenaries?" He guessed cautiously.

"Kakarot's mission to this planet should be enough of an answer." Vegeta looked away. "We clear planets and sell them. Or we used to. Now we merely conquer whatever Frieza desires." His fists clenched, his teeth grinding together. _Damn it!_ Kakarot hadn't been the only one to develop a short fuse. They might as well have been exhibits at a zoo the way Frieza treated them. He had been relieved to have Kakarot around at times, to keep Frieza's attention away from humiliating him, but the levels they'd had to stoop to…

"Er… you okay, dude?" Krillin took a nervous step sideways, away from the angry saiyan.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed furiously. He struggled to contain his rage; it wouldn't do to lose control. But after a moment, he switched his gaze to Piccolo. "This Kyen, how often are his predictions correct?"

The namek gave him a glance, as if realizing what was going through the saiyan's head. "Every single time. Watch." He looked up. "The pod will arrive soon."

Vegeta felt the fire become icy with determination. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren't. But the thought of serving Frieza for one more day… of turning up the chance…

His eyes flickered green. _No more. I will take my fate into my own hands._

They all heard rumble and looked up. What looked like a meteor was hurtling in their direction. Vegeta leapt into the air, and the other two quickly followed suit. They dodged around the capsule, which buried itself in a crater where they had been standing moments before.

Vegeta frowned at what his senses were telling him. _That's not Kakarot. Or Nappa._ He descended, his eyes fixed on the hatch. _Something's wrong._


	31. Trapped on the Z World, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**Trapped on the Z World**

Page 4

The hatch opened, and the woman stirred, blinking warily as she took in the scene. Vegeta stared at her for a moment, then curled his lip and landed beside the capsule, practically tearing her out of the way, hurling her to the ground with little ceremony as he examined the pod. "No, this is his…" He frowned, then rounded on her. "Where is Kakarot? Why do you have his pod?!" He snarled as he took a step towards her, but Piccolo intervened quickly, getting between the two.

"Back off." He growled softly.

Krillin hopped down. "Easy there, tough guy. If Kyen says he's coming, he's coming. There's just someone else in this pod." He turned to her. "Hey, you okay, miss?" He asked, offering his hand. "My name's Krillin, home-grown human Earthling. This is Piccolo, namek of Earth, and ol' Grumpy over there is Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans."

She blinked in surprise and turned back to stare at Vegeta, who was glaring at Piccolo. "Prince?" He didn't exactly look like what she'd been expecting, after her conversation with Kakarot. Someone of regal bearing had come to mind, or maybe someone who had the same remorse when it came to killing.

Vegeta gave her a brief glare, but kept his attention on Piccolo, who was letting his power build as a wordless reminder.

She felt a flash of cold anger. "You?" She exclaimed in disbelief. "He is destroying an entire way of life for _you_?"

"Hey, easy, easy!" Krillin flew in front of her. "Look, I don't like having him around any more than you do, but it's the only way we'll be able to _save_ our planet."

She gave him a confused look. "What are you saying?"

Krillin rubbed the back of his head with a rueful grin. "I'm not really good at explaining. Why don't we head to Kyen's? They can wait for Kakarot."

"I stranded him." She replied, drawing herself up. "He's trapped on the very planet he was sent to _clear_. Let him live with what he's done."

Vegeta's eyes widened, and he bristled.

"Actually, you failed." Piccolo stated, not taking his eyes off the angry saiyan. "Kyen can still see him coming. He will arrive in a few hours." He shifted. "If you know what's good for you, saiyan, you'll back down."

The Prince glared back, his fists clenched so tightly he was losing feeling in his fingers. With a snarl, he took off, vanishing rapidly.

Piccolo watched his progress for a moment, then relaxed and turned. "It's not exactly easy, but we need his help." He glanced up, then back. "Kyen will be able to explain better than we will."

Krillin popped up. "So what's your name? What planet are you from?"

She hesitated, but after a moment, she relaxed. "My name is Amirah. I am a princess of Konats." She bowed, clasping her hands together. "I'm afraid I am rather far from home."

Krillin chuckled and lifted into the air. "I'll bet. Hey, when this is all over, I'm sure we can find a way to get you back home." He tossed Piccolo a casual salute. "See you around! Keep ol' grouchy out of trouble until we get back!"

Amirah glanced back as she moved to follow Krillin. "You are not coming?"

"No. Vegeta isn't interested in wiping out the people of Earth anymore, but he's been on edge since he got here." Piccolo smirked. "I don't think he expected someone to be more powerful than him."

"Kakarot spoke of him." She looked over at Krillin. "He doesn't seem like much." She sounded disappointed.

Krillin chuckled wryly. "Well, he _is_ a genocidal maniac. But come on. Piccolo can deal with him if he gets any ideas. You and I need to talk to Kyen."

* * *

"You're going to wear a rut in the ground." Piccolo muttered as he floated above the ground, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. With the saiyan around, there wasn't exactly any peace, but knowing that didn't make the wait any easier.

"Just shut up." Vegeta snapped irritably as he spun on another lap. He wouldn't normally have been so jumpy, but a lot had been going on, starting from the moment Piccolo had powered up. He'd spent weeks here; Frieza was sure to notice his failure to report in by now. And he doubted Kakarot would have had Frieza's blessing coming here.

Why had that woman had his pod? Had she stolen it? What about Nappa? Neither Piccolo nor Kyen had mentioned Nappa's arrival. Did that mean something had happened to him? He was pretty sure he and Kakarot could still take Piccolo, but if Frieza decided to have them collected, they'd need all the help they could get. Why were they so convinced that they could win? Was Kyen telling the truth, or was it just a ruse?

Certainly, Vegeta would have leapt at any chance to escape Frieza… as long as it wasn't assuredly going to end in his own death. That would defeat the purpose; he hoped to visit upon the warlord the same humiliation he had suffered. But Piccolo had forced his hand. The namekian was too strong for him to take on, and whether they actually needed his help or not, they had basically imprisoned him on this back-system low-level dump. He'd been working on that for the past three weeks, but that wasn't the kind of strength he could get without radically punishing his body. And he wasn't comfortable letting his energy drop that low in hostile territory.

Two powers approached them, and he stopped, looking up to see Krillin and the alien woman drop down to join them. "Hey, Piccolo! How's it going?" Krillin greeted happily.

He opened an eye. "Did you get to your date?"

"Yeah, actually. Kyen invited Princess Amirah to stay at the Lookout, and I got time in to visit. It actually went pretty well, all things considered!" He chuckled and glanced around. "How are things here? Doesn't look like Prince Grumpy-Pants has lost his temper yet."

"I'm a saiyan warrior. I know how to be patient." Vegeta gritted through clenched teeth, whirling away.

Krillin struggled not to laugh. His amusement was still apparent, though, as he turned to Piccolo. "Kyen's saying the pod should show up any minute once we got here."

"Good. I'm not sure how much more I could stand of his 'patience.'" Piccolo muttered. He looked up. "So now you understand what we're up against."

Amirah inclined her head. "I will help if I can." She sighed. "I'm just glad he killed the other one. I don't think he would have helped us at all."

Vegeta tensed.

"What other one?" Krillin asked, surprised. "Was there another saiyan on your planet?"

"It wasn't Konats; I was part of an embassy to Orla and the orlans. Yes, there was another saiyan… he killed my comrades." She said bitterly. "Laughing the whole time."

"Ouch. I'm sorry, ma'am." Krillin said sympathetically. "I'm sure if we had a choice, we wouldn't be allying ourselves with these murderers." He shook his head. "But like Kyen said, it's the only way we're getting out of this."

"Nappa is dead?" Vegeta queried softly, looking back.

Amirah met his burning gaze coolly. "Killed by Kakarot, actually." She said with a tiny amount of satisfaction.

Vegeta reeled in shock and turned away, his eyes wide. _Kakarot, what the hell are you thinking?!_ He had known the two hated each other, but he'd thought that Kakarot understood that Nappa was a necessary member of their team.

_Oh hell._ He brought a hand to his face. _He spared her._ That would explain why she had his capsule. His fingers twitched spasmodically. _Damn it._

_Damn you, Kakarot!_


	32. Retribution of the Prince, P1

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Retribution of the Prince**

Page 1

Kakarot's eyes slid open. The capsule was rattling, and he realized with a start that he'd awoken just before landing. It took him only seconds to figure out why; Vegeta's anger was palpable even from this distance. _What…?_ He frowned and sat up. _Whoa. That power's higher than ours._

The capsule hit down, and he pushed it open, stepping out and looking around. "Well hey, I have a welcoming committee!" He grinned and waved. "Hi there! My name's Kakarot!"

Krillin blinked, then relaxed, waving back. "Mine's Krillin. Heh, you don't seem so bad. Or you're just crazy."

"A lot of people call me that, yeah," Kakarot laughed.

"Hey, silly question, but you're not interested in destroying all life on Earth, are you? Because we kinda need your help." Krillin chuckled nervously. "Kyen says we can beat this Frieza guy, but we can't do it on our own."

"Really?!" Kakarot gasped and turned. "Are you Kyen? Wow, you're really strong!" He flew up to the namek, who backed away, alarmed. "Hey, can we fight sometime? I'd really love to spar with you! Not life-and-death, you'd _cream_ me! But I've never fought a namek before, in fact, you're the first namek I've ever met in person–"

"My name is Piccolo." He interrupted, eyeing Kakarot warily. "And if you shut up, and you don't intend to harm the people of this world, I might consider it."

Kakarot whooped. "Sweet!" He moved on down the row to Amirah, who stiffened. "Hey, you made it okay! Sorry, I didn't think about the coordinates until I was getting into this pod, or I would have punched in the ones to your planet," He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I never got your name. Mine's Kakarot, but I guess I told you that already." He rubbed the back of his head, giving her a sheepish grin as his tail flicked back and forth beneath him. "Sorry, I was kinda out of it last time, I don't like clearing planets at all–"

"Or killing comrades?" Vegeta interrupted icily.

Kakarot jumped. Suddenly, the anger made sense… and it wasn't directed at them. Which meant teasing them wasn't going to help. He winced. "You told him, huh?"

Amirah frowned. He seemed to show some remorse, but it was a lot more reminiscent of a child caught with a forbidden treat than the sorrow he'd shown on Orla. For that matter, it was as if he was a completely different person.

_Is he… insane?_ She wondered, troubled as she watched him turn sheepishly to his prince.

"Um…" Kakarot started uncomfortably.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Vegeta stated softly.

"Well, but… you weren't there–"

Vegeta's fist connected with his servant's jaw, throwing the saiyan backwards across the grassy plain. Kakarot recovered quickly, rubbing his chin with a hurt look on his face. "You never actually said don't!"

Vegeta snarled and flew at him, seizing the front of his armor and slamming him onto his back. "Did you honestly think you could get away with that?" Power flared around him, blazing with rage. "You betrayed me!"

Kakarot lay under him submissively, and for a moment, Amirah saw the same saiyan from Orla. She frowned. _What… is he… is he pretending?_ She wondered, baffled.

"S-she was still there, Prince." Kakarot's low voice caught in his throat. Piccolo and Amirah had greater hearing than Krillin, but they only faintly heard the statement.

Vegeta stopped, comprehension flooding him. And though he was by no means satisfied, he knew what the only outcome could have been.

He hadn't been there.

_That's why he spared her. That's why she had his capsule._ He curled his lip, but his rage had subsided to bitterness. The hand clenching Kakarot's armor released him, and the Prince shifted, his fingers coming together as he gathered an orb of energy.

"Please, Prince." Kakarot pleaded in a whisper. He knew better than to let a tear show, but… "Is Nappa really worth this?"

"No." Vegeta's eyes had a hint of green in them. "But you failed me, Kakarot."

He fired, and Amirah's eyes widened in shock. _What sort of monster–_ She stopped, puzzled. She could still sense Kakarot's energy; he was just unconscious. As she watched, she saw Vegeta curl his tail around his waist before he bent to grab Kakarot's arm, lifting him into the sky.

She rephrased her previous thought. _What sort of monster survives a blast like that at point blank range?_

"Whew. That was rough." Krillin muttered. "They're crazy, the pair of them." He glanced up. "Um, did you happen to catch that last bit? I mean, not like I'm all that interested, but–"

Piccolo considered him for a moment. "I'm not certain what the significance was, to be honest." He turned. "We should retire to the Lookout. Kyen will pass soon."

Amirah watched the direction in which the two saiyans had gone. _'She' was there._ She frowned. _Me?_ Her presence had been the reason, then. Enough of a reason that he would betray his Prince… the one he had wiped out an entire planet for. And enough of a reason that Vegeta's rage had been diverted.

_I do not understand._ She decided after a minute, and turned to follow the others.


	33. Retribution of the Prince, P2

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Retribution of the Prince**

Page 2

Kakarot stirred and groaned, doubling over and clutching his chest. The armor had been blown away, and an angry red burn had twisted into his flesh. He winced and touched it gingerly. "Ow… that's gonna leave a mark…"

"That's the idea." Vegeta grunted. He was sitting nearby, a fire crackling in front of him. A boar was roasting on a spit, sending a delicious scent through the air.

"Mmm," Kakarot sat up. His eyes fell on a tray of food and he stopped, surprised. "What's that?" He asked.

"Food." Vegeta picked it up and moved it to the other side. "My food."

Kakarot blinked. "But it's all so nice." He scooted forward. "Where'd you get it?"

"The Earthlings bring some occasionally." Vegeta muttered, popping a bite of baked meat into his mouth. "They wanted to encourage me not to hunt." He snorted. "But what they bring won't feed you."

Kakarot gasped. "So you hunted for me? Is this mine?" He looked over at the fire.

"Yes, Kakarot, that's yours." Vegeta picked up the tray again. "It's still cooking." He glanced up, then sighed and shook his head. "Don't burn your tongue."

Kakarot paused, already demolishing the still-roasting boar. "So what happened? You've been here for three weeks now," He pointed out, then went back to gnawing on a leg.

"One of the Earthlings, as you've noticed, is a namekian." Vegeta said, picking through the plate. It was better than Frieza's mess halls… but that wasn't exactly a difficult accomplishment.

"Piccolo, yeah," Kakarot nodded. "He's really strong!"

"I've noticed." Vegeta muttered dryly. "His father is the self-proclaimed guardian of this world… and the one who foiled your mission as an infant."

"Oh, so this is the planet! I was worried," Kakarot chuckled as Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "I mean, the coordinates were the same and everything, but I wasn't sure. So how'd they make it look like it had been blown up?"

"I'm getting to that, Kakarot." The Prince leaned back against a large tree stump and took a bite. "That namekian apparently has the ability to see the future." He explained. "They knew we were coming." He chewed thoughtfully and looked up. "He knew you were coming last time. He erased your programming and had an Earthling hack the pod's system. They implanted a virus that would make it appear as though the Z World had been destroyed… which explains why we didn't notice it in the saiyan systems, but it was still visible in Frieza's maps. The virus hadn't spread to his databanks."

Kakarot raised his eyebrows. "Too bad! They almost got away with it." He swallowed. "So is that why I'm different?"

"Most likely." Vegeta took a bite. "He did the smart thing, though. He knew it was only a temporary fix. He trained the other namekian and that human."

"Krillin, I think." Kakarot noted as he took another giant bite.

"His foresight is likely why the namekian was able to outpace us." He curled his lip. "He also saw Frieza. Which means our dear lord and master is personally interested in retrieving us."

"Too bad." Kakarot repeated with a sigh. "This planet seems like a nice place to live!"

"Kyen is convinced that Frieza will fall."

Kakarot looked up, his mouth stuffed. He swallowed hastily. "You serious? And he can see the future for real?" He asked hopefully.

Vegeta shrugged. "I'm biding my time. We're not strong enough to take on Piccolo." His eyes shifted to the fire.

Kakarot tilted his head. _Together we're strong enough, and he knows that._ He took a bite. "Do they know when Frieza's supposed to get here?" He asked.

"Not precisely." Vegeta shook his head. "He dies before Frieza arrives, and he can't see very well past that. He's certain that Frieza falls." The Prince shifted uncomfortably. The chance that Frieza could die was irresistibly tempting, but the ground was still shaky.

Was it worth the risk?

The bitter taste in his mouth came from looking at the consequences of failing to act. If they went back to Frieza, and aided him in crushing this planet…

His stomach churned at the cowardice, and he set the tray aside. He had seen Frieza callously destroy a planet he wasn't interested in. The effort the warlord had given was all of moving one finger. Sure, he, Vegeta, was capable of destroying planets, but not like that. He wasn't at that level yet, and Frieza wasn't exactly going to give them the time they needed.

There was a way to boost their power levels considerably – a trait unique to saiyans. But the drawback was that for any kind of payoff, they would need to be near death, and they didn't exactly have access to healing devices. The capsules had life support, of course, but that wouldn't exactly get them up to speed quickly enough to be worth the time spent at such a low level.

"Prince?"

He glanced up.

"I said, does this mean we're staying?" Kakarot repeated, his tail flicking behind him. His roast was bones now.

The Prince looked down at his tray, which still had food on it. He picked it up and lifted it in an offering gesture. "For now… yes, Kakarot."

The words had hardly left his mouth before Kakarot had swiped the tray, but he stopped with a morsel halfway to his mouth. Both saiyans looked up.


	34. Retribution of the Prince, P3

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Retribution of the Prince**

Page 3

"Hey, it's Lady Amirah!" Kakarot grinned, dropping the morsel and waving up into the sky. He couldn't see her very easily against the nighttime background, but his other senses told him exactly where she was. The campfire would highlight his greeting.

She flew down, holding a fresh tray.

"Wow! More food!" Kakarot jumped forward. "Gosh, you're so nice!"

"Kakarot, don't just grab it." Vegeta snapped, and Kakarot skidded to a halt.

"But I'm hungry!" He whined, but turned back with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry,"

Amirah studied him. Any semblance of the saiyan on Orla was gone. He was much more light-hearted, even carefree. Which didn't make any sense, given he had killed Nappa in direct disobedience to his Prince, and had very nearly been killed in retribution.

_"Have you ever had someone you'd do anything for?"_

"It is all right, I brought it for you." She held it out, watching him demolish the meal with gusto.

"Kakarot," Vegeta grumbled.

"Oh, sorry, thank you!" Kakarot chuckled and sat down. "Join us?" He asked, patting the ground.

She hesitated, her eyes flicking to Vegeta. All traces of the rage that day were gone. In fact, he seemed completely unconcerned that she was standing there. Sure, she doubted she could do any damage, but he didn't seem to care that she was apparently the reason Kakarot had betrayed him.

_"They are our allies; this may be a good opportunity to learn more about them."_

Kyen had suggested she come. He was a Seer; yet as she gazed upon the two saiyans, lounging around the fire like predators, she had to wonder what sort of drastic change could possibly redeem either of them.

She knelt, accepting the offer, and folded her hands in her lap.

"So why'd you come?" Kakarot asked curiously. "I mean, seems kinda strange that a princess would come just to bring food." He said genially, his tone devoid of insult despite the insinuation.

"Kyen suggested I come." She gazed at him, her green eyes puzzled as they shifted to Vegeta. The prince was settled with his back against a rock, seemingly disinterested. His posture (though currently relaxed) was different from the royalty on Konats; he seemed more like a warrior. And yet, it was nothing like the warriors of Konats. It was much more… like an animal. A feline. None of the rigidity and reverence of the swordsmen who protected and served her people. There was authority in his posture, but it was very different.

"Kyen, huh? You think he's right?" Kakarot asked, and she looked back at him. "Think we could actually beat Frieza now?"

She inclined her head. "He has the Seer's gift. I have seen it in others; if he has seen it, it will come to pass." Kakarot was just as different from anyone on her planet. She could remember the quiet despair of the warrior she had met on Konats. He had been… trapped. Trapped carrying a burden he could not hold. Yet he was still moving. And if he had spoken the truth, then it was because he sought to protect his prince. A prince who killed and carried no such burden.

A more contrary being she could not have conceived.

"Oh, awesome! It's about time!" Kakarot beamed as he shoveled more food down his throat. "He's such a jerk."

On top of it all, right now, he looked young. A young, naïve warrior, worshipping the prince who sat opposite him. A child, even, ignorant of the atrocities he was committing in Vegeta's name, all for the sake of protecting someone who in all honesty had probably slain just as many as he. Without remorse.

She turned to Vegeta. "Do you intend to join us, then?" She asked. "Betray your master?"

Vegeta's eyes flashed, and the fire jumped up briefly. "I bow to no one!" He snarled, his fists tightening under his arms. As suddenly as it had arisen, his fury vanished, back behind the silky feline demeanor. "I intend to take my revenge." He corrected. "I don't intend to die in the process."

She was pretty sure she knew what the difference meant. "And how will you determine if now is the time?"

Vegeta smirked, amused. His eyes switched back to the fire. "There probably isn't anything like it on this backwards planet, but if Kyen knows where we can get access to healing units, we might have a chance."

"What do you intend with healing units?" She queried.

"Training." Vegeta replied. "They would be of no use to us unless they could heal all injuries within a few hours."

Kakarot gasped excitedly. "You mean we're gonna train with zenkai?" He exclaimed. Amirah gave him a puzzled look, and he elaborated. "Saiyans gain a huge boost in power if they recover from near-death injuries. There's no limit to it! At least, as far as we know."

She considered him for a moment. "I will ask." She stated. She had the ability to heal instantaneously, but she wanted to make sure she could trust them before she aided them. She looked back at Vegeta, who was giving her a slightly annoyed look. "How did you come to serve Frieza in the first place, Prince Vegeta?"

"Well, it all started when–"

"Shut up, Kakarot." Vegeta snapped, his expression hardening.

Amirah stiffened. _This is a sensitive topic._ He hated Frieza, and it was infuriating to him to even think of the servitude he was trapped in. But if there was any hint that the saiyans would abandon them in the fight, they would be finished. Maybe she was treading on thin ice, but if she knew how committed he would be if he did have the strength, she would tell him about her ability to heal.


	35. Retribution of the Prince, P4

**Author's Note**

Kakarot was sent to Earth as an infant, but when he returned from his mission, it seemed as if the planet had been blown apart completely. Believing him to be an unstable specimen, Kakarot is sent to a laboratory to be studied, but appears to be nothing more than ordinary - and a bit insane. He seems destined for a life as a lab rat until a certain Prince takes interest in his single-minded obedience...

The Idea: I'm basically rewriting the entire series. I love DBZ. And my writing style is very different from it. So I'm not trying to stick to certain plotlines, or trying to recapture the best moments of DBZ surrounded by my own pathetic attempts to fix plot holes. What I'm doing, and what you should expect, is that this is a completely different universe, running on different rules. My style, my muse, is continuity and believability - hopefully that is what delights you when you read my humble tribute to this series.

**The Retribution of the Prince**

Page 4

"Kakarot mentioned you two were the last of your kind." She shifted into a more ready position, though she remained seated. "Did Frieza kill the others?"

Vegeta paused briefly, considering the insinuation, but a flash of anger overrode it. "Kakarot," He growled, his eyes flashing to his second, who ducked guiltily.

"I was making conversation." He mumbled.

His food had been set aside.

"It was a meteor," Kakarot added quickly, and Amirah gave him a glance. As their eyes met, she could see him imploring her silently to stop.

Her eyelids fluttered briefly, and she turned back. "Did Frieza tell you that?"

Vegeta growled, and all three of them surged to their feet. His eyes widened, then narrowed. "You have overstayed your welcome, woman." He gritted.

"He will kill you if you do not obey. You might as well be his slave." She retorted. "You–"

Kakarot was very suddenly in front of her. She heard and practically felt the _whump_ as Kakarot grunted. There was a pause, which was followed by Kakarot's groan.

His legs wobbled unsteadily, and he caught himself, breathing deeply as he tried not to clutch his wound. Vegeta's shock was being swiftly overtaken by outrage.

"Please–" Kakarot managed, then coughed and stepped back, shunting Amirah away. "Go." He glanced back, and she could see disappointment in his eyes.

Vegeta grabbed the front of his armor and dragged him down so they were eye to eye. "Get out of the way." He growled softly.

"Prince…" Kakarot struggled for a moment. "Please, just this once." He begged.

"After you killed Nappa?" Vegeta snarled, hurling him to the ground and powering up. "You expect a _favor_?"

Kakarot looked up, then shook himself and bounded to his feet. "Just _once_!" He pleaded. "I didn't have to kill her on Orla, please, don't– she doesn't have to die–" He trembled with the effort, squinting a little through the pain of both wounds.

Vegeta eyed him. Angry though he was, the only other time Kakarot had actually defied him had involved a similar situation. Except the damage had already been done, and Nappa still too valuable.

Kakarot's eyes flicked upward, and a flash of anger crossed his face. "Get out of here, Amirah!" He shouted, taking a step forward and clutching his stomach as a spasm of pain shot through his body.

Vegeta turned his head to follow, and Amirah gazed back, her expression calculating.

His eyes narrowed, but Kakarot was there again; perhaps he'd sensed the delicacy of the situation. "Get OUT of here!" He roared, his energy blazing around him.

She left.

As soon as she was out of sight, Kakarot dropped, his energy vanishing. He turned back to his Prince, stumbling to his knees, and bowed his head.

Vegeta gazed back for a long moment. Finally, his arms fell to his sides, his tail curling back around his waist.

"Thank you, Prince." Kakarot said softly.

The food lay forgotten as the night deepened.

* * *

"Prince?"

Vegeta's eyes flicked open. He had been dozing, but not fully asleep; his mind was turning over the events of the day. Amirah likely had no idea of how close Nappa had come to making her life hell. Or how rare it was for Kakarot to defy him, no matter the victim.

Kakarot sat up. "You had green eyes."

He glanced over at the younger saiyan, and a frown pressed on his features.

"When… er…" Kakarot rubbed the back of his head. "Right before Amirah left." He said. "And… um… when you did this." He lifted his hand to where Vegeta had blasted him. The burn looked pretty bad, but it would be better after Kakarot had some rest.

"Green eyes?" He queried in slight disbelief.

"Yeah." Kakarot rubbed his chest gingerly, his tail twitching back and forth. "And your power looked… different."

After a moment, he sat up. "What do you mean?"

"Your power was sort of yellowish." Kakarot shrugged. "I dunno. Your power's usually purple. But it was yellow. Do you …feel different?" He asked hesitantly.

He thought about it. If Kakarot hadn't brought it to his attention, he wouldn't have given any of it a second thought. And even now, though he searched his memories, he wasn't sure he could sense anything like what Kakarot was talking about.

He shook his head.

Kakarot pouted. "Too bad." He sighed. "It's uh… not easy to ask when it's actually happening."

Vegeta snorted. "You can try if you want; I'll try not to blow your head off." He lay back down. "Get some rest, Kakarot."


End file.
